I Carry Your Heart (I Carry It In My Heart)
by Lynnth2014
Summary: This takes place after Regina and Zelena battle in main street. Regina is coming to terms with Henry not knowing who she is and is trying to open herself up to her true love. Complications ensue, and events that follow make her believe that maybe, just maybe, true love isn't worth it.
1. On Second Thought

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

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Regina looked out the window, gazing down on Henry and Emma as they walked by, probably going to Granny's. Her heart ached now more than it did in the Enchanted Forest. Seeing him so close and unable to be with him, because he has no idea who she is. He thinks of Emma how she always wanted him to think of her, and to get so close just to... She'd never felt so horrible. Well, that wasn't true. _**Daniel**__._ Somehow it felt worse.

She felt someone behind her and turned to find it was the thief. She crossed her arms. "What are you doing here?"

He merely smirked. "I came to see how long I am to keep...your secret."

Now she smirked. "Until I tell you otherwise." Her smirk softened. "Thank you. I...appreciate this."

He gave an almost teasing bow. "It's my pleasure, milady."

"I told you, it's Regina."

"Regina then." He met her eyes. "Was that boy your son? The brown-headed boy with Emma?"

She nodded slightly.

"He doesn't remember you, does he?"

"No." She dropped her arms. She had a taste of her own medicine—having someone she loved not remember her at all. What she wouldn't give to restore his memory.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't image my son not remembering me."

"I'm sure you'll never have to experience that." She paused and remembered that her door was locked. "Did you feel like it was necessary to pick the lock just to ask me a question?"

"Old habits." He smiled.

"I see." She walked over to the door. "I have business to attend to, so you'll have to excuse me."

"Actually, I came to ask about that drink."

"As I said, I'm busy."

"Tonight then. Say...seven 'o clock at Granny's."

"Fine. Seven." She opened the door, he walked out, and she sighed. She wasn't sure she was ready. She'd lost so much, and love was not always the right path for her, but what she was feeling...felt right. She hadn't felt something quite like this since Daniel. Zelena was right about her not seeing what's right in front of her, about her not appreciating it, and she did say she supposed she owed him a drink. Now he's come to collect like Gold for rent.

Shaking her head, she grabbed her coat and headed to the cemetery to try and find a way to protect Henry from Zelena's wrath. Zelena may not know how much Henry means to her, but if she's going to start destroying the people Regina cared for—well, it's not a long list. She had to make sure he was safe. Even if he didn't remember who she was, she was still his mother, and she was would never let anything happen to him, not with magic like the apple turnover and Neverland.

She spent most of the day perfecting the spell, making sure nothing could break it and nothing could slip through the cracks. She just needed a few more ingredients and then it would be complete. She could wait for him to fall asleep then cast it.

She gripped bottle with the mixed ingredients inside and pushed a cork over the opening, noticing her watch read six-thirty. Tinker Bell had said she not only ruined her life, but his too. She knew who he was, but he didn't know who she was. Had she gone into that bar, she might have been happy, but she never would have Henry. She didn't regret that decision of leaving, because of Henry. But now Henry was here and so was Robin. What excuse could she procure now?

She tucked the spell and bottle into her purse gently and left the vault. She found Emma Swan outside, waiting for her, and she met her eyes. "I assume you're not here to give condolences."

"It's about Mary Margaret."

"Well, as interested as I am, I have plans."

"Regina, it's about the baby. David wants to be sure it's protected, and it would put her at ease to know no one can get that baby."

"Fine, I will make you something _tomorrow."_ She walked by her.

"Thanks."

"Sure." Regina went home and prepared a shower. She smelled like chemicals and herds. That wasn't the impression she wanted to make. She'd already ran away from him once and then gave him her heart. She hadn't given him an explanation for her running away either. If this...worked out, she might have to. Part of her wanted to tell him, but the part that made her run away all those years ago made her never want to tell him or even go tonight. However, if she didn't show, he would probably break into her house and find her. Thieving vagabond.

She showered, experiencing a twisting feeling in the pit of her stomach for some reason, and as she covered herself in her robe, she discovered she was...anxious. She hadn't felt this way since she was a girl and would sneak out to meet Daniel in the pastures. How trivial. She wasn't a child. There was nothing to fear.

She looked through her closet and found suits and blazers. She did miss her wardrobe back in the Enchanted Forest, but she could manage with what she had. She kept it simple, not wanting to impress, because she had something else to do afterward. She needed to help Henry, and tomorrow she would deal with the pumpkin.

She buttoned her jacket and grabbed her blue scarf, wrapping it around her neck before heading out. She drove to Granny's and paused outside. She spotted Robin at the bar, talking to Ruby, and she gazed in at him. He was very attractive, even his personality—what she knew of it—was pleasant. He was a good father, even if he did smell of forest and stole for a living. He was good, and she was a villain. Villains don't get happy endings. And look who's dead and who's alive.

She started to enter when those knots returned. They were beginning to be very intrusive. She was worried and nervous. It wasn't like Graham. This was her true love. It would be difficult to screw up true love, but she did it before. Her mother helped the first time, and her nerves the last time she was supposed to meet Robin. Why did this trouble her so much? Because her mother ruined almost everything she touched without her heart? Because she sacrificed the person she loved the most for revenge? Because this was her last chance of finding happiness if Henry never remembered her? So much depended on this, and one wrong move would ruin everything. Could she risk that? Could she?

_**Was being happy such a terrible fate? Yes! Yes, it was!**_

Anger was all she had back then. All she had now was someone to destroy and Henry. What was life without a little risk? It wasn't as if it was her curse that was currently active, after all. She wouldn't repeat the past. She did with Henry, and it only pushed him further away. She had to go in. She—as much as she didn't want to admit it—owed this to Tinker Bell. And Robin and Daniel.

_**Love again.**_

She took a deep breath and walked inside, finding Granny's was almost empty. She saw Ruby tending to tables, and one of them had Hook and Henry. She smiled at him, giving a slight nod, and he smiled back then returned to his conversation with Hook. She was glad she didn't have her heart with her. Speaking of that, where was her heart if Robin was with her?

She stopped beside him. "Sorry, I'm late. I had...business that needed my attention."

"Business after business? You must need a drink." He held out a glass to her. "Or are you doing to decline again?"

She smirked and took the glass. "I'm not saying no, but I'm driving tonight, so this'll be my only one."

"Then allow me to buy you dinner. I hear this place has a great hamburger."

"I don't really—" she cut off her automatic no. "—like burgers. Perhaps, we can have dinner another night. At my house."

"All right then." He gestured to a booth. "Would you mind if I brought Roland? He hasn't had a real meal in quite some time, and I'm sure he'd like to meet you."

"Pushing your own kid off on me since I don't have mine?" She removed her gloves.

"Nothing of the sort. I assumed you would would like to meet the boy."

"I would. I don't mind if you bring him. It's been...too long since I've had a child at the dinner table. Henry doesn't—didn't like to eat vegetables." She smiled at the memory. "I always tried to make deals with him, but he was so smart that I ended up owing him something." Even if she planned it like that.

"You love him," he noted.

"Very much." She rested her hands on the table. "So, what about Roland? Or do you not find vegetables out in the woods?"

"We make do, though Roland isn't fond of most greens." He paused. "How do you know we're in the woods?"

She shrugged. "You smell like forest."

"And here I thought Ruby was the wolf." He drank from his glass. "Is that a particularly repulsive scent?"

"I spent a lot of time traveling back home, and I can honestly say it's better than most scents."

"Well, since you're being honest, care to tell me why you ran off the other day?"

Her eyes automatically moved to his tattoo then she dropped them to her glass and cleared her throat. "I already told you: I was following a clue trail that lead nowhere."

"So, it's the Lying Queen now, is it?"

"Believe what you will; I stand by my story." She drank from her glass.

"Do you still doubt yourself?" he asked suddenly. "Since the last we spoke and the letter—do you doubt yourself still?"

"There's no doubt—Zelena's stronger than me, but power isn't...everything. Being clever and having wit can...delay the inevitable."

"You don't make it sound like defeat."

"Not unlike Rumpelstiltskin, I have always have an alternate plan." She curled her fingers around the glass. "Though this one is proving to be quite...irksome."

"Care to share this secondary plan?"

"Not just yet."

The bell to Granny's door jingled, Regina looked over her shoulder and saw Emma in the doorway. Henry said goodbye to Hook and left with her, smiling, telling her about his day, and Regina remembered when he used to do that with her. Before that story book Once Upon A Time and before he knew she was the Evil Queen. She missed those days as well, because at least he knew her. Now, he just looks at her like a stranger, a kind stranger. It was her own magic that had done it, but she never expected to see Henry again. At least with her curse, no one knew who their loved ones were. A blessing. Truly, it was.

"Are you all right?"

"To say yes would be lying." She blinked hard and finished off her drink.

"He'll remember you one day," he assured her. "You aren't easily forgotten."

If he remembers the good she's done. "On second thought, I think I'll have another."

"Allow me." He picked up her glass and got a refill.

_~O~Q~_

A throbbing sensation rolled through her head when the sun shined down on her face, and she sat up, using magic to sooth the throbbing. She was in her bed, still fully clothed, and she heard movement downstairs. She changed out of the wrinkled clothes and padded down the stairs, finding more than one person in her kitchen. What the hell?

"Regina."

She turned to face Robin. "Robin. What are you doing here?"

"Well, you got a bit tipsy last night, so I helped you home. Emma stopped by to check on you. Your car's still at Granny's."

"Yes, Granny's. I—I remember." She met his eyes. "Thank you."

"I couldn't abandon a lady in need."

"We're out of the Enchanted Forest, women do most of the saving themselves," she informed him.

"Yes, but chivalry isn't as easily forgotten as the past year, Regina." He offered her a smile. "I should go and check on Roland. He's probably worried."

"Probably."

He closed the space between them, and she tensed momentarily. He didn't move to kiss her, just to whisper, "I enjoyed last night. Perhaps tomorrow night will be better."

"Tomorrow night?" She flicked hair from her eyes. "Our dinner?"

"Til then." He reached down and grasped her hand, lifting it up and placing a gentle kiss to her skin. "I leave her in your care." He left without another word.

"Someone had fun last night." It was Emma.

Regina turned. "I don't know what you're talking about." She crossed her arms. "Are you hear to train your mag—?"

"Sssh." She pointed to the kitchen and whispered, "Henry's here."

"Henry? You brought him?"

"Mary Margaret went to see Doc with David, and Killian had...plans." She shook her head. "I wanted to talk to you about...Operation Green."

"Creative."

"The kid was the one who came up with names."

"Speaking of him, how will we talk if he doesn't know?"

"Give him a video game, and it'll be like we aren't even here. Let's talk in your office. Henry."

"Yeah?" He stepped in from the kitchen, listening to music on his phone while playing a game.

"We're gonna talk about the case, so make yourself at home."

"Are you sure?" He was looking at Regina.

"Yes." She smiled. "My home is your home."

He smiled back. "Thanks."

Regina and Emma went upstairs to her home office, Henry looked for something to eat since Emma and he had only grabbed hot coca from Granny's, and Emma made sure Henry wasn't listening at the door.

"About our sessions, I would like to continue them. Right now, I want to make sure you're okay. Zelena hasn't shown up at Granny's, so I doubt she knows about Henry. She can't use him against you."

"Right, Henry. I have a protection spell for him and...Mary Margaret. I leave her spell to you."

"Me? You're trusting me with something so sensitive?"

"She's your mother. If you want that baby to protected with all of your heart, you have nothing to worry about."

Emma stared at her. "I don't have that much control over my powers, Regina."

"You saw my mother kill substitute Archie. You stopped the trigger that was going to destroy Storybrooke. You helped me create an eclipse. You've made fire and rebuilt a collapsing bridge—Do I need to continue?"

"Yes, but that was instinct."

"Then harness that instinct and use the damn spell to protect your little brother or sister."

"If it doesn't work—"

"Have some confidence, Emma. It will work." She was glaring. "You have so much untapped potential, but you either chose to ignore it or demoralize yourself. It's pissing me off."

"Fine. Let's get Henry and go to their apartment to wait."

"Well, it's not that easy. You have to create the potion. The spell protects the person, but the potion can protect, say, the apartment."

"Don't you have one already made?"

"You're staying at Granny's."

"Right. Well, I'll drop Henry off with Archie."

"You're leaving him in the care of a therapist? He's going to think you think he's crazy."

"You sent him to Archie for years."

"Yes, but I was trying to get silly fantasies out of his head."

"They were real."

"Are you going to argue with me and waste time that Zelena can use to get Mary Margaret's baby or are you going to drop him off with Belle? He likes to read, and the library has an extensive collection of books. It's better than video games."

"All right. Let's go."

They started for the door, the glass window behind them shattered as a flying monkey flew into the office, and Henry ran upstairs to see what the commotion was. Regina climbed to her feet and saw she wasn't the target—Emma was.

"Well, you wanted a session," Regina told Emma.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Emma dodged the flying monkey.

"Mom?" Henry called. "Mom?"

"Henry, stay there!" Emma grabbed a piece of glass and stabbed the monkey in the abdomen with it, and it cried out.

Regina used it's tail as a rope and made it slitter around the monkey's arms and wings, trapping it effectively. She summoned a cage around it and blocked it as Henry ran into the room. He paused in the doorway, confused.

"I—I thought I heard glass shatter." He studied the untouched window. "And—there was a cry."

"She broke my mother's vase," Regina lied. "My mother meant a lot to me, but I can fix it."

He wasn't buying it. "Then what's behind you?"

"There has been a dog ruining my flowerbeds, and I've asked your mom to help me...return it to its owner." She moved, revealing Pongo.

"Why my mom?"

"With her contacts, I'm sure she'll find them faster than a missing poster."

"Right."

"Well, kid, we have to return the dog, so I'm going drop you off at the library."

"Why can't I come?" He crossed his arms.

"Because I said so." She faced Regina. "I'll meet you outside in ten minutes."

She nodded, her eyes on Henry, and she watched them leave then closed the door and removed the cloaking spell. She crouched down and looked at the monkey. "Now who's in there?"


	2. Problematic

Emma and Regina went up to David and Mary Margaret's apartment, Regina had helped her with the potion and suddenly wished Rumpelstiltskin was back, because she didn't have the patience he had. She wanted to retry the bridge exercise again. Emma was so skeptical, even after all she'd seen and all she'd done. One year and all of it was washed away. Tsk, New York.

Regina sat on the stool as Emma checked the house. "Any hour now. It's not like I have a half-sister who wants to make Henry a new addition to the Storybrooke Zoo."

Emma sent her a glare as she returned to the front room. "So, just...spill it?"

"Unless you want to drag up some dirt and draw a line in it, but that would be difficult to explain to Henry since this apartment's spotless. Well, not the walls. They could use some work."

She removed the cork and dripped it over the door, using magic to amplify its power and watching as it seeped into the wood. An invisible guardian. She could feel the magic coursing through the apartment. "Now, all we have to do is wait for them to return." She stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"Or you can wait for them to return." She slid off the stood. "Henry still needs to be protected."

"I know your intentions are good, but you're only going to confuse him. Besides, I don't want him seeing magic."

"Why do I get the feeling you don't want him to remember any of this or remember me?" Regina saw the unspoken answer in her eyes.

"Regina, it's not—"

"He is _my_ son," Regina spat. "You can't make him forget me."

"He's our son," Emma corrected. "And right now I just want to stop Zelena. We can worry about the rest later. Besides, you seem to be doing just fine."

"Just fine? How in the hell do you see that?"

"I saw the way he looked at you. I know that look."

"Robin Hood?"

"You like him?"

"That is none of your concern." She met her eyes. "Henry is my everything. You don't get to make this decision alone. I've known him and loved him longer than you and Neal. I refuse to lose him again!"

David and Mary Margaret entered at the moment, Regina turned away and blinked hard, and Emma stepped back to let them inside, offering a small smile. They saw right through it immediately.

"Is everything all right?" Mary Margaret asked, glancing between them.

"Yes. We just came by to initiate the protection spell." Emma led Mary Margaret into the living room.

"Are you all right?" David asked Regina.

"Like you care," she muttered.

"I thought we were over the platonic relationship."

She turned. "Keep your worry for your wife and child. I can take care of myself." She left the apartment and headed for the library.

"Regina!" Emma caught up to her. "Wait."

"Get out of my way. If you want to procrastinate, be my guest. I won't put my son in harm's way. He will be safe for once."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well as I see it, ever since you came to Storybrooke, Henry's been put under a sleeping curse, trapped in a mine, kidnapped and sent through a portal where he lost his heart and nearly his life, and now you have him losing trust in you. Shall I continue with more trivial things?"

"You're the reason he ate that turnover! Greg was your enemy, and Pan had his own plan for eternal life," Emma shot back.

"And the only thing protecting him now is the spell I cast, giving him new memories." She headed for the library.

"We won't get anywhere fighting each other." Emma fell into step beside her. "We've both made our mistakes with Henry, but we both can make them up. You're right—Henry does need protecting, but so do you."

"I don't run from monsters, Emma, they run from me." She opened the door to the library, and they went inside, finding Belle and Henry on his laptop. "So much for reading."

"Mom." Henry smiled. "Look. We found a documentary on Storybrooke."

"There's a documentary on Storybrooke?" Emma asked, looking at Regina as she walked around the counter.

"No, but it's great choice of words to slow things down." Zelena stepped out from behind the bookshelf, Regina noticed both Henry and Belle weren't moving, and Emma looked stuck as well. "Do you like it? You can keep company and not be annoyed by them." She smiled.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just a bit of light reading." She ran her fingertips over a newspaper. "It's funny what happens in this town. Missing people, murders—some by wolves. I wonder who that is."

"I still don't have a heart, Zelena."

"No, but they do." She appeared behind Emma. "I've noticed you spend a lot of time with—what did she say she was? The Savior. Does she mean something to you?"

"As about as much as that tacky emerald means to you."

Her eyes flashed. "Don't test me, Regina. The only reason I came here—"

"There's no deal you can make will ever make me consider giving you my heart."

"Yes, I know. We both share that ruthless determination. We must get that from our mother." She approached Regina. "I may not know everything about you, little sister, but someone in this town means something to you. I'll just start killing them off until I find the right one."

"Well, by all means start, because you won't find one. The only people I love don't have the mind to remember. Death tends to do that."

"We shall see." She disappeared into green smoke.

"What just happened?" Emma stepped back.

"Mom, when did come in?" Henry asked.

"Just a second ago. What're you up to, kid?" She set her hands on his shoulders.

"We found a documentary on navigating the stars," Belle replied. "It's quite fascinating."

"Emma." Regina tapped her pocket.

"Right. Belle, could you give us a minute?"

"I should check the stacks." She picked up two books from the counter and went to the section they belonged to.

"I have a present for you." Emma turned Henry around. "Close your eyes."

"Why do I have to close my eyes?"

"Because it's a surprise." She smiled.

He closed his eyes, Regina used the protection spell and watched it ripple across his beautiful face, and she stepped back and let Emma hand him the random item she'd gotten from the Charmings. Regina watched the exchange, and she felt so empty. The one person who meant the world to her had no idea who was she. All their shared memories, good and bad, were wiped clean just when their relationship was finally recovering. She had an urge to torture something, and she had just the monkey to use.

She exited the library, but didn't get far before Emma went after her. "What could you possibly want now?" she snapped, stopping Emma in her tracks.

"I'm a friend, Regina. You don't have to be so hostile."

"I don't have friends."

"Well, you do now, so get used to it."

"I have business I need to see to. You know what I'm talking about, so go back and take care of our son." She went to Granny's to retrieve her car and then drove to her vault. She had no plans until tomorrow night when Robin and Roland were coming over for dinner. She would spend that time trying to figure out how to reverse Zelena's monkey curse. The less people she had in her primate army, the better.

At her vault, the monkey was beating relentlessly on the cage. She wanted to skin it and make a nice coat or hat, but someone was in there, and she had to do the "right thing" and find out who. She put it to sleep and began mixing a potion together.

_~R~A~_

By her twenty-fourth potion, she was beyond pissed. She threw the last failure against the wall and ran her fingers through her hair. She was so frustrated, and she really wanted to choke the life out of that sleeping pile of fur. She had to remain calm nevertheless. She wouldn't let her "sister" win. She could figure this out. While Zelena only had Rumpelstiltskin, Regina had both Rumpelstiltskin and her mother. She could have Emma if that she wasn't such a skeptical waste of—

A commotion drew her attention, and she heard a child cry. She hurried up the stairs and found Roland on the floor, calling for his father, while something was ripping at the doors to her family mausoleum. She picked him and and carried him down to the vault.

"Papa!" he cried.

"Shh." She soothed him, wiping away his tears. "Shh. It'll be all right. Wait here." She returned to the doors as the monkey's hand reached through the hole it'd made. She summoned a fireball and shot it through the hole, and she smiled when it cried out and flew away.

She returned to Roland and produced a stuffed monkey. "See, not so scary, and now you have a new toy."

He tentatively looked up at her and smiled a little at the stuffed animal. He took it. "Thanks."

She smiled back. "You're welcome." She saw blood on his arm. "Roland, correct?" He nodded. "Why don't we go back to my house and clean that up?"

"My papa's waiting."

"Then we'll go looking for him." She healed the cut and held her hand out. "He'll be worried, and the sooner we get you back to him, the sooner he can stop worrying."

He grasped her hand, and they left the mausoleum, leaving the sleeping monkey with only a cloaking spell. They searched the woods for Robin and his...merry men. There was no sign of them, and when Regina saw the camp, she had a feeling this attack wasn't random. There were bits of torn cloth, some bloody, but there were no bodies. There was no sign of Roland's father either. But there was one of his arrows. After nearly being impaled by one, she was pretty sure it was his. Regina took him into town, lulling him with a lie that Robin would be there. She drove him to her house and made him something to eat while she tried a locator spell with Robin's arrow that had been left at the camp site. It lead nowhere.

She sighed. She couldn't leave the boy on his own. She wouldn't. Robin needed to know his son was all right. If it were Henry, Regina would have to know. She would never stop until she knew what exactly happened to him. She didn't want to drag the boy from one end of town to the other. He was exhausted as it was. She needed to find him, but not leave. Where's a cloning spell when you need it?

Shaking her head, she turned and saw Roland asleep on her couch, holding the monkey in his arms. She couldn't help but smile. He was so adorable and well-mannered, like Henry. He had to look more like his mother, because he barely resembled Robin at all. He was all Robin had left, and as long as he was in her care, she would protect him like he was her own son. And if Tinker Bell had any say, he would be.

She gently picked up off the couch and carried him up the stairs to Henry's old bedroom. She removed his shoes and jacket, leaving his little beanie on, and she covered him up, letting him snuggle up with stuffed monkey. "Sleep well," Regina whispered. "I'll have your father here when you wake up."

As she left the room, she heard little Roland murmur, "Night, Mommy." She stopped in the doorway and smiled a little. She decided to watch over him, just in case. She sat down in Henry's window seat and felt something lumpy underneath her. She pulled out teddy bear that was Henry's from when he was younger. She brought it to her nose and the scent brought back so many memories. She missed him so much. She would have to make peace with his memory loss until he got it back. She would find a way. Maybe Emma could break this curse and restore their memories again.

_**Her little prince.**_

A pounding on her door pulled her out of her head, she started to head downstairs then stopped and removed her heels when they echoed in the empty halls. The sound would wake Roland, and he needed rest in a proper bed. She continued down the stairs barefoot and opened the door, finding Robin collapsed on her not-so-welcome mat.

"Are you all right?" She lowered herself down onto her knees.

"Zelena." He lifted his head. "She sent the Dark One to attack our camp."

"I know. I found Roland in my family mausoleum with a flying monkey after him." She helped him stand up. She healed the wound over his eyebrow.

"Roland's here?"

"He's sleeping upstairs."

"Good. I'm glad he got to you. Do you have it then?" He searched her slightly confused eyes.

"Have what?"

"Your heart. I sent it with Roland."

"Roland didn't have it on him. Not that I could see."

"I'll go see." He stumbled on the stairs, and she went to his aid. He gripped his side, wincing.

"Slow down. Here, sit." She pushed his jacket off his shoulder and saw blood seeping through his shirt. "Remove your shirt." She set his jacket on the rail and noticed the wary look on his face. "If I wanted to curse you using your blood, I'd already have it."

"That's reassuring." He removed his scarf, wincing.

"Do you need a hand?" She was amused.

"How on earth do you find this amusing?"

"Well, I was known as the Evil Queen. Raise your arms." She helped him remove his shirt and aside from the impressive set of abs, he also had a blackening wound. "What the hell attacked you?" She tried healing it, but it wouldn't heal fully.

"This is encouraging."

"I can probably mix some herbs to clear this up, however; all of my herbs are in my vault."

"I take it your vault isn't nearby."

"No." She crossed her arms. "You should rest. Roland's in my son's bedroom." She picked up his bloody shirt and jacket. "I'll wash these."

"Regina, wait." He met her eyes. "Thank you."

She gave a nod then proceeded to the laundry room. She knew Roland didn't have her heart, so that meant Zelena did. But she was still alive. Whatever Zelena was planning involved Regina's heart, Charming's courage and Mary Margaret's baby. What was she planning? Zelena had an upper hand, and Regina was sick of it. She would find out what that hairless Grinch was up to.

_~O~Q~_

Robin watched over Roland through the night, Regina went back to the mausoleum and found the herbs she needed. The monkey was still there, and she left it, not in the mood to deal with the scent of wet fur. As she was walking up the steps, she saw those murky green eyes. Zelena.

"So, this is where you buried your father?" She ran her fingertips over the marble.

"I was just asking myself what could piss me off further."

Zelena smirked. "Herbs? How is your little thief?"

"What the hell do you really want?" She glared.

"Oh, sisterly advice? No. Perhaps to give my condolences to your father for having such a weak, useless daughter. That sounds about right." Her eyes flashed.

"Am I supposed to be offended by that? It is coming from an orphan." Regina smirked.

"Your smugness will be nothing soon, Regina." She reached out and set a hand over the place where Regina's heart was meant to be. "How does it feel knowing your heart is always within my grasp?"

"I'll let you know when I feel threatened."

Her lips twitched, and she disappeared into green smoke.

Well, she knew who got their mother's love for dramatic exits. She didn't waste any more time getting home. She went immediately to Henry's room, where Roland and Robin both were. She gestured for him to meet her in the hall, so Roland wouldn't see, and she applied the crushed herbs to his wound. He winced.

She so was tempted to freeze him, because he was so squirmy. It couldn't possibly hurt that much. "Will you hold still? I'm getting more off the wound than on it."

"That's easy for you to say. You don't have a set of fingernails digging into your body."

"Don't be such a child." She finished and wiped her fingers on a towel. "That should help."

"Should help?"

"Until I know what's blocking my magic, that's the best I can do."

"Then thank you. For taking care of both me and Roland." He smiled. "He hasn't slept in a bed in a long while."

"Well, there's an empty bed here whenever he needs it." It fell out before she could stop herself.

"We appreciate that."

There was a moment, nothing was said, their eyes were locked, but before anything could happen, Regina stood up. "You must be hungry. I'll see if there's anything to eat." She quickly padded down the stairs and hurried to the kitchen, setting the bowl on the counter and leaning against it. She wasn't planning on running away from him—from this. She wasn't sure she could do this, though. Love has never worked out for her, not between family and not with men.

Maybe if she took a leap of faith... But with leaping, there's always falling.

Robin entered the kitchen. "Is there something wrong?"

"No. Why would you think that?" She moved away from him.

"Because I had a rather interesting conversation with Tinker Bell." Regina didn't move. "Now, is something wrong?"

"Don't believe everything that ex-fairy says. You're a thief; you should have some instinct on when someone's lying."

He turned her around and held her in place. "Regina, we both know Tink wasn't lying. The reason you ran away when I offered you a drink was my tattoo, because Tink said the man with the lion tattoo was your soulmate."

"Has anyone ever told you you think too highly of yourself?"

"Has anyone ever told you...you put up walls to keep what's good for you out?"

She smirked. "We could keep this up all day, but I have better things to do than argue. Like stopping my green half-sister." She tried to get away, but his grip was stronger than she thought. When she lifted her eyes, he was leaning down slowly, and she tensed when his lips touched hers.

It wasn't like with Daniel. There was nothing there. Regina knew why, but Robin did not. She pushed him back and just as she was about to speak, the front door opened and in came Mary Margaret.

"Regina?" Mary Margaret called into the house. "Regina?"

"Would it matter if I said no one's home?"

She walked into the kitchen. "Regina, you have to come now." She grabbed her wrists. "Zelena's gathering people into main street. She has Henry."

"Henry?" Regina felt flames of anger boiling up inside. She pushed by Robin and headed to the front door. "Mary Margaret, stay here." She opened the door and stormed out. No one was touching her son, especially not that orphan wannabe bitch.

~O~Q~

In the middle of the town, Zelena had Henry by the throat, scanning the crowd for Regina. David and Mary Margaret—who hadn't listened to Regina and trailed behind her, only getting ahead when Regina momentarily stopped at the sight of Zelena and Henry—were held by an invisible force, although a faint green tint shimmered across their faces. The townspeople wanted to help, but they couldn't defeat the Wicked Witch. They were helpless to her as they were to Regina. Why didn't someone useful come with this curse? Emma and Regina had ran in to the street at the same time, pushing through the people, and Regina instantly attacked Zelena.

"I tire of this." Zelena threw Regina back.

"Let him go!" Emma shouted venomously. "He has nothing to do with this!"

"He has everything to do with this," she shot back.

"Let my son go." Emma felt the magic inside pushing to the surface. Henry was the only good thing that had happened to Emma. He brought her to her family and saved her from having to be alone ever again. She would not let this bitch hurt him.

Zelena let out a powerful shriek as light burned her flesh and Henry ran to his mother. "This is not the end!" she growled and flew away.

"What was that?" Henry exclaimed.

"Regina!" Mary Margaret hurried over to her body on the ground. "Regina?"

"Oh, no." Emma lowered herself down beside her. "Somebody call Dr. Whale! David, help me."

David picked her up off the ground, Emma opened the door to her car, and David gently set her in the backseat. Henry followed them, getting into the passenger seat of the car, Emma didn't have time to protest, and she took them to the hospital.

"Everyone, go home." Mary Margaret watched the crowd dissolve in to only Robin—who just showed up with Roland—and Tinker Bell. David was getting the truck, having called Whale to give him a heads up on Regina. Mary Margaret had to know Regina was all right.

"What happened?" Robin asked, holding Roland. "We heard someone was injured. Is the boy all right?" He had heard murmurs from the townspeople as they walked by.

"Henry's fine."

"It was Regina," Tink said softly then pulled Snow aside. "Henry saw. What are you going to do?"

"What can we do? We don't have a potion that can help him remember. Or even to forget." And the only person who could do that spell was unconscious. She suddenly thought of the storybook Once Upon A Time. "The book."

"Book? How's a book going to help?" Tink asked.

"It's what made Henry see through the curse the first time. We need to get the book."

"Where is it?"

"I—just found it in my closet when Henry needed something to believe in. No, not something—happy endings and hope." David pulled up then, Mary Margaret told him they were going to her apartment, and Tink decided to go with.

"I hope yours isn't full of shoes or we'll never find it."

"I'll go to the hospital," Robin said as they loaded into the truck. "Check on Regina for you."

"Thank you." Mary Margaret smiled.

They went their separate ways, David drove quickly but carefully to the apartment, and they went to her closet. Tink wasn't surprised by the number of boxed shoes, David asked her why she had so many, and she laughed before responding.

"It's not here." Tink set a box on the bed. "Or maybe my worry's getting the better of me."

"Didn't Regina ruin your life?" David asked, tossing a flat over his shoulder as he dug through the box in front of him.

"I'm learning to let go of the past." She crossed her arms. "I'll go to the hospital, send Emma over here."

"Take the truck." David tossed her the keys. "We'll keep looking. Uh, be careful."

Tink left the apartment as they continued to search, hearing David ask how this many pairs of shoes could be brought over and not the storybook. She went to the hospital, finding Regina's room quickly. Regina wasn't awake yet, and there was a wound on her forehead. Henry was in the room with her, and Emma and Robin were dealing with Whale.

"Is she all right?" Tink walked over to them.

"She's fine," Emma assured her. "Henry's not."

"After what he saw, what did you expect?" Tink had a feeling that wasn't what she meant, because Emma's face told her more than it should have. "What's happened?"

"Zelena. I think she cursed him. Whale says there's nothing wrong with him medically."

"Someone remind me while we're trusting a man who cut people up for a living." Robin shook his head.

Whale glared. "Running tests on Henry is useless. You need Regina, who is currently unconscious, to see if there is anything wrong magically."

"Thank you for telling us something we already knew," Emma murmured.

"I have better things to do than be ridiculed by a thief, a former fairy and a skeptic." He walked away.

"Should we dump a bucket of a water on Zelena," Emma glanced back at Henry and Regina, "and hope the bitch melts?"

"We could never get close enough." Robin reminded them, "She keeps the Dark One close."

"We won't get anything done here." Tink faced Emma. "You need to help your parents find that storybook that made Henry bring you here." Then to Robin, "And you need to get your men to look out for the town. You all have experience fighting—some of us aren't so lucky."

"Of course, the book." Emma eyed Henry. "You'll watch him?"

Tink nodded.

"Will you watch Roland as well? I don't want him out there." Robin waved him over.

"Sure." Fairy, ex-fairy, babysitter, doormat. She didn't mind. They were lovely boys. "Go, both of you."

Emma said goodbye to Henry, Robin gave his son a hug, and they left. Tink went in to Regina's room and gave Henry a small smile, but he didn't respond. Roland sat on the floor and began to mess with the item his father left with him. Tink wasn't sure what to say. Henry didn't even know the woman in front of him was his adopted mother. How was she supposed to do this?

"How are you?"

"I was chocked by some woman I didn't know, the Mayor was thrown across the street by some invisible force, and my mom hurt her without touching her."

"You're well then?"

"I think I'm dreaming."

"You don't think there's magic in the world?" Tink inquired.

"I've never really thought about it. I guess it's possible. Obviously, if this isn't a dream."

"Then why do you look so confused?"

"My heart," he slowly began, "hurts. It feels heavy, like something happened to someone I love a lot. The only person who got hurt was her. Regina. I can't figure it out." He shook his head. "It's giving me a headache."

"Rest, eh? Your mom will be back soon enough."

Henry nodded and climbed into the bed beside Regina's and tried to rest, if only to still the thought spinning in his head.

Tink sat down where Henry had been sitting and rested her hands in her lap, looking over Regina. She looked well enough, just had a wound on her forehead. Zelena was strong, but there had to be a way stop her. Emma couldn't do everything around here.

Regina shot up, and Tink jumped out of her seat and gasped. "Where is she?" She saw Henry on the bed. "Is he all right?"

"He's asleep. He's completely fine. You were injured."

"I'm fine." She stood up. "Where's Emma?"

"At Snow's apartment. They're looking for the book."

"Finally, something useful." She moved hair out of her face and ignored the dull throbbing in her head. She noticed Roland. "So, Robin was here?"

"He was concerned."

"He wouldn't be if you hadn't told him he was my "soulmate"." She glared. "And why tell him? Why now?"

"He deserved to know."

"Why?"

"I told you once, and you did nothing. You ruined your own life and his. I'm not going to let that happen. This child may never remember you, but that doesn't mean you can't be happy."

"I don't have time for this." She stormed out of the room and grabbed her jacket from the chair.

"Regina!" Tink called to her. "You can't keep running forever!"

"Watch me." She turned to Tink. "Henry will remember. He's the only person I have room to love. I have to get my son back, so excuse me."

Tink frowned and shook her head as Regina left the hospital. She never did learn from her mistakes. Tink had hoped with her time here something had changed, but she was wrong. Regina still only sees what she wants, never the big picture. She would, but it might be too late by then.


	3. Together

Emma sifted through the box in front of her, half-heartedly looking for the storybook that Henry was given when he thought he had no one; Mary Margaret was in the closet still and getting nowhere fast, and David only found shoes. He had two new boxes, but still only found shoes and scarfs. He knew what to give Henry on Christmas. Not all of them were girly.

"It's not here." Emma sat down. "Just coats."

"Let me see." Mary Margaret stepped out of the closet and looked through the box, pausing when she saw the leather-bound book nestled underneath her coats. She looked at Emma as she pulled it out. "Just coats, huh?"

David smiled. "We need to get that to Henry." He took it from his wife and flipped through it to make sure it was all there.

"You didn't really want to find it, did you?" Mary asked.

"Oh, don't look at me like that."

"Am I supposed to be happy?" She sighed. "You wanted to just leave after this, didn't you? Your father mentioned you were thinking about it. I was hoping he was wrong."

"Yes. Yes, I did. I don't want Henry to remember what happened here and who you all are, but I don't have a choice. We have to break this curse, and if that means Henry has to remember then so be it."

"How could you not want him to remember that he has family who loves him?"

"Because a lot of horrible things happened here. He nearly died in an mine, and he was put under a sleeping curse. Then he had horrible nightmares that burned him in reality then he was kidnapped and held captive by Peter Pan, and he ripped his own heart out to save magic. What mother wants her child to remember _that_?" Emma met her mother's eyes.

"A lot of good happened here too. You found your parents, found a home. Henry too. He found his mother and his father."

"And he lost Neal. I don't want him to lose anyone else."

"He might," Mary told her. "He might lose Regina and never know that she loved him or that she too is his mother or that her love saved his mother and grandmother from being killed by our own guilt. He—"

"Okay, I get it. You worked on your guilt trips." She stood up. "Let's get the book to the kid."

Mary Margaret sighed, but complied. They left the apartment, finding Regina outside about to come in, and Regina took the book, hoping to find the story of her dear sister. They went to the hospital, but only found Tink and Roland knocked out. Regina made sure no harm came to the boy, but it was just the use of poppy.

Regina set him on the bed and turned as David set Tink down on the opposite bed, trying to rouse her, but she was out cold. Regina noticed water on the floor, and she knew only one person wore the type of shoe that left that indention. Hook.

"Do you have something of Henry's? I can cast a locator spell."

"Already on it." She was on her phone. "He's at the docks."

"Let's hope your pirate is simply teaching Henry how to properly dock a boat, otherwise I'm going to turn him into a codfish."

"I'll help."

At the docks, they located Henry and Hook in the boathouse that was surrounded by flying monkeys. Regina was so sick of monkeys, and she shot fire at them while Charming stabbed the ones that flew too close to him and Snow, and Emma shot them along with Hook until he ran out of bullets three shots into the fight.

Once all the monkeys were turned to ash and the scent of burnt hair filled the air, Regina and Emma went to Henry. He was unharmed, and they were relieved. Emma got the book from David's bag and spoke to Henry, trying to make him see, but he was confused. The only thing that helped was his mind was more open to magic than his mother's, and he trusted Emma. But the minute Henry's fingers touched the book, he dropped to the floor.

"Henry!"

Regina and Emma went to him, and he was losing consciousness. "Mom," he said to Emma and then looking at Regina, he uttered, "Mom."

Regina's eyes filled with tears, but she smiled. "Yes, it's me."

"Mom." His eyes closed.

"Henry?" Emma grabbed his hand and found a strong pulse. "A sleeping curse?"

"Not one that I've seen."

Emma kissed his forehead, but nothing happened. She tried once again, but it gave the same results.

Laughter came from the corner of the room, and Zelena stepped out of the darkness. "Oh, did you think it would be that easy?" She smirked. "I couldn't let that happy ending happen. After all, this is Storybrooke, where happy endings come to die."

"What did you do to my son?" Regina demanded, shaking with fury.

"Your son?" Zelena's eyes flash. "Oh, that's precious. Two birds, one stone. It _is_ my lucky day."

"Not for long." David charged, but was once again trapped by her power.

"You never learn." She wasn't concerned with him. "Oh, sis, if I gave you the answer to everything, that would be unfair. Consider this a gift. If he lives or dies, he'll have remembered you."

"He will live," Emma informed her. "You won't win. Good always wins."

"Does it?" Zelena leaned toward her. "What has "winning" gotten you? Hmm?"

"A family."

"How nauseatingly predictable. Although, I can see why that pirate likes you enough to betray me." She summoned her broom. "And good does beat evil. I'm not evil, dear. I'm _wicked_." With that, she flew away.

"I'm going to rip her heart out and crush it slowly." Regina stood up. "We're going to my vault, and we're going to find a cure and kill that bitch. Do you have any complaints?"

"Just one." Emma turned to Hook. "What were you doing with Henry?"

"Saving him." He sighed. "Zelena cursed me."

"You look just fine to me." Emma crossed her arms. "And saving him? You put him in harm's way!"

"In my defense, you handed him the book."

She clenched her jaw. "What did Zelena mean, you betrayed her? And don't give me that cursed crap. You've betrayed us several times."

"Are you ever going to let that go? I helped you all on several occasions."

"Only when it benefited you."

"We don't have time for this," Regina snapped. "We need to get Henry help!"

"We wouldn't have to help Henry if you people didn't keep dragging us back here!" Emma snapped. "This is the what? Fourth? Maybe fifth time his life has been threatened?"

"His life wasn't threatened until you came here," Regina shot back. "And since when do you care? You _abandoned_ him at birth! I made up memories for you, don't act like they're real. _**One**_ year! You had one year and a couple of months, but other than that, you have nothing to draw on! _I'm_ his mother! _I_ raised him!"

"_You pushed him away! He came searching for me!"_

"Because of a book! Had Snow never given him that book, we wouldn't be in this mess!" She scoffed. "_I should've killed you**.**_"

"Do you think you can? You can't touch my heart."

"I don't need to."

"Hey, hey, hey!" David got in between them. "Stop it, the both of you."

"David, move. She's had this coming from the first time she threatened me."

"Just because you fashioned a hobo bridge doesn't mean you can take me." Regina smirked. "I'm going to enjoy knocking you off that pedestal."

"Henry needs both of you." David pushed them away from each other. "You need to stop this. Where is this even coming from?"

"This is coming from the fact that she thinks she can come and take Henry away from a mother that's loved him since he was born, who never once abandoned him! Or thought of abandoning him. I may not have my imp to cut through the tape this time, but I assure you, I can get Henry back. What harm did you put him in in New York?"

Emma lunged, David grabbed her by her shoulders and pushed her back, and he tried to get her attention, but eyes were locked on Regina. "Are you going to take out his heart too?" Emma hissed. "Try and control him that way? Or are you going to force him to love you with magic? What'll it be this time?"

"Stop it!" Snow shouted. "We have bigger issues than trying to see who's the better mother! Right now, no one here is the best mom. We've all made bad choices and put our children at risk, but we can change that. Stop this or Henry _**will**_ die! If you care for him at all—"

"Fine," Regina cut her off. "We get it—we all have parent issues and are slowly becoming our mothers. Let's get Henry out of the cold. If we leave you two alone, will you try to focus on what's important?"

"What does that mean?" Emma growled.

"It means—"

"Nothing," Snow said over Regina. "It means nothing."

David grabbed Henry and carried him out to the car, Snow and Regina followed, and Emma stayed to get the truth from Hook. She crossed her arms and waited for him to tell her what happened between him and Zelena, her mind not as set on rage as it was when Regina was in the room.

"She did curse me, Swan. My lips, to be more accurate. She wanted you powerless, thought I was the best way to do that. She was wrong."

"So what, you kiss me and I lose my power?"

"Basically."

"I am a threat to her. Great, the Savior to the rescue." How long will she doing this? Until evil stopped coming at her and her son? She and Henry seem to have a fate intertwined with bad guys and bitter victories. She didn't want to put him through this his entire life, but she had no choice. Giving him up didn't give him his best chance, just a bitchy...deeply loving adoptive mother and a hell of a weight on his shoulders since August failed to stay with her. He deserved to know what good happened here, and even if she took him back to New York, part of her would resent that choice. Henry would want to remember, and even though it was in his best interest to forget, it was wrong. She owed it to him.

"You all right, Swan?" Hook studied her.

"Y—yeah. I need to help Henry." She turned on her heel and left the boathouse, going to her car where Regina was tending to Henry.

Now away from Emma, Regina began to wonder what brought on that sudden rush of rage, and she thought back to what Zelena had said. She scoffed and couldn't believe she let herself succumb to a childish rage spell. Zelena was willing to stoop that low just so Henry would die and Regina let her. That wouldn't happen again. No one got away with hurting Henry. Zelena would pay for this and then some.

Emma knocked on the window. "If I open the door, will you try and kill me?"

"No." Regina didn't look up from Henry's pale face. "He's getting weaker. He needs us—both of us. I'm sorry for what I said. It wasn't untrue, but you didn't deserve that."

"Ditto." She opened the door and got into the driver's seat. "Let's get him to the apartment."

"Are you sure? The protection spell on him didn't work. How can we be sure the spell at the apartment worked?"

"Because we're going to recast it. Together."

"Together it is then." She smoothed down Henry's hair. He was getting too big to coddle. One year and he was already changing in to a young man. She wouldn't miss another. Zelena wouldn't win. Wicked or evil, Emma and she would stop her. If Regina couldn't use magic...well, perhaps an ocean could wipe that smug green tint off her face. If that doesn't work, there's always acid.

~O~Q~

Regina made sure Henry was comfortable on the couch she had in her vault, covering him with a blanket and giving him a pillow to rest his head against. It was decided her vault would be best. They had everything they needed for when they found a way to reverse this curse, and it wasn't easy to access. David and Emma were looking over the books in Rumpelstiltskin's shop with Belle, and Mary Margaret was with Regina. She was resting on the other sofa, looking over the many spell books. They couldn't be sure the apartment protection spell was strong enough, but the spell here was unbreakable, and it didn't involve blood magic.

Regina smoothed Henry's hair down and smiled affectionately at him. "I'm here, Henry. I won't let anything happen to you." She tucked hair behind her ear and sensed someone nearing the mausoleum. She went to see who it was and found Robin and Tinker Bell crossing the cemetery. Robin and Tinker Bell, why wouldn't they be together?

She crossed her arms and stepped back behind the barrier. "What are you both doing here? I thought you were securing the town."

"My men are," Robin assured her. "We came to see how the lad was."

"He's not getting better by me wasting my time talking to you. What do you want?"

"We came here to help," Tink replied. "Emma sent us."

"Sent you?" She smirked. "Emma didn't send anyone, you both volunteered."

"No one else was rushing to come and help you." Tink folded her arms. "You should be thankful for the help. Are you going to let us in or not?"

"No."

"No? Why not?" Tink demanded.

"Cloaking spells are passed down through my family, not trinkets. Nice try, but I know a cloaking spell, and I know where the real Robin and Tinker Bell are." She shot a fireball at them and as they slammed into the trees, the spell shattered and revealed two flying monkeys. They screeched at Regina and flew away. "I hate pets." She closed the door and returned downstairs and began to produce a cure for Henry while Mary Margaret looked for the cause in case it didn't work. If it didn't fully work, it could still buy Henry some time.

~R~A~

Emma was getting restless, turning page after page, and she didn't think she could be still any longer. Henry was slowly dying, and learning how to make shrimp invisible and how to grow lush bushes weren't going to help. She needed to do something. She should've punched Zelena in the face that night.

"Emma," David called to her.

She found him at the door with his sword. "Going somewhere?"

"Robin's men are patrolling the town. I say we check the woods."

"Who's going to help Belle?"

"I have plenty of help." Belle walked in with books in her arms and Robin Hood behind her. "Tink's coming by after she checks in with Mother Superior. We will find a cure." Henry was practically her grandson, and she wouldn't let anything happen to him. Rumple was willing to die for Henry in Neverland, and he died to make sure nothing happen to all of them, and she would make sure his wishes were respected.

Emma nodded. "Thanks."

David and Emma left the pawnshop as Robin and Belle moved to the back of the shop. Belle cleaned up the books Emma had read and began to read over the curses and spells that could be the one Zelena used on Henry, and she was also looking what Zelena needed a resilient heart, courage and a baby for.

"How was Henry?" Robin asked after a while.

"Still." She crossed her legs. "Regina refused to leave his side, not after everything that's happened, and Emma wanted to break down Zelena's door to find an answer." She turned the page and read over the words on that page. "If anyone can cure Henry, it's his mothers."

Robin paused. "That's not what they're doing now, is it?"

"No. David would never let Emma do something so reckless."

"Belle?" Tinker Bell called into the shop.

"We're back here."

She found them in the back, holding more books, and when she sat them down, the necklace Regina had given them to know it was them slipped out of her shirt. She was tired of it doing that. She tucked it back and sat down. "Blue couldn't be sure what was inflecting Henry without seeing him, so she gave me all of these."

"I'll put on some coffee." Belle rose and went to the coffeemaker.

Robin helped sort through the books. "If we can't find a cure, is there any way to save Henry?"

"I don't know. I wasn't here when the first curse was broken." Tink opened a book and met his eyes. "If Henry dies, Regina will attack Zelena relentlessly and may die herself."

Robin felt his throat tighten at the thought of that.

"All she has is Henry. I've seen her when she's lost someone she loves, and if that fight comes, they'll tear this town apart."

"Is there anyway we can stop that from happening? If Regina's heart is the main component in Zelena's spell, can we somehow send it somewhere?"

"It or Regina?" Tink searched his eyes. "You're insane in if you think Regina will ever leave Storybrooke."

"Unless she doesn't know she's leaving Storybrooke."

"There's no way to create a portal to leave," Tink reminded him. "So, let's focus on something we can do—help Regina help Henry."

Belle returned to the table and noticed the look in Robin's eyes and how intently Tinker Bell was reading. She opened her mouth to ask what happened, but stopped. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what they were concocting, and she had double the work to do. She picked up the book she was reading before she made the coffee and started on the line where she stopped. She would need to read carefully and quickly. Time wasn't on their side, although she had an idea.

_**~E~D~**_

Emma and David trudged through the woods with flashlights on and jackets zipped. The woods were clear so far and being outside, doing something, felt a lot better than sitting in the shop and reading. She couldn't do the research part well when she was as stressed out as she was. She had to move and be active. She couldn't sit and stare at ink. She would've gone insane or left if David hadn't suggested this.

"So, where'd you leave Hook?" David asked.

"Well, if he's important to Zelena then he needs to be somewhere no one will find him." Emma glanced at him, and he nodded. "My turn. Why did you really bring me out here?"

"You looked ready to set that book on fire. I know how frustrating this is, and walking's good for you. Fresh air."

"I've been keeping track, and we're getting closer to Zelena's house. David, what are you planning?"

"Zelena watches us, so why aren't we watching her?"

"Because we've been trying to protect Mary Margaret and Regina and Henry. We didn't have the time, and I doubt anyone would've volunteer for a job that may get them turned into monkeys. Or worse."

He nodded. "Well, we've both fought monsters, so why don't we? And if she happens to leave, we can go in and try to find what she used on Henry."

"I wouldn't try. She might poof back in."

"It's worth a shot."

They spotted Zelena's house and stopped at the edge of the woods, and they saw lights were on inside the house. Zelena was home. They sat down on the hard, cold ground and watched the shadows in the house. It was strange that there were three. Emma could tell which was Zelena and which was Gold, but the third wasn't familiar to her. It wasn't Hook or anyone from Storybrooke. Who the hell was Zelena talking to?

About two hours in to watching her, Emma's legs were going numb from the lack of movement and cold, and she wished she had some coffee and equipment to hear what they were saying. It would be so many easier to do this if they knew what the hell was going on inside that house.

"Oh." Emma shot up. "Why didn't I think of that before?" She wanted to kick herself.

"What?" David was on his feet.

"Do you remember when we thought Regina killed Archie? And how when we went to Gold, he used a dream catcher on Pongo to look through his memories?" David nodded. "Regina has that monkey in her mausoleum, and we can see if Hook's telling the truth. I doubt they're moving any year soon. We can come back in the morning."

"Let's go."

They hurried back to the car then back to town, Emma stopped by Gold's shop to grab the dream catcher and left without another word, and they went to mausoleum to talk to Regina. With Emma's enchanted necklace and David's enchanted wedding band, they could enter. They called to her as they padded down the stairs and hurried down the hall.

"What?" She exited the room where Henry and Mary Margaret were.

"Where's the monkey?" David panted.

She didn't question, just led them to where it was still unconscious, and Emma went over to it and unlocked the cage, dragging it out with David's help. It certainly didn't weigh as much as a monkey. Emma wanted to test her ability being doing this, and Regina was curious to see if she could, so she simply watched.

"You can do it," David assured her. "I've seen your ability. You can do this, just focus."

She felt the magic inside of her and channeled it into the dream catcher. When she opened her eyes, it was glowing a soft gold and revealed the memories of the person inside. All they saw for a few minutes were flames then it showed Regina, Mary Margaret, David, another man and woman then Zelena in the castle. It had to be Regina's by the look of it, and they saw Zelena touch Mary Margaret's baby bump, smiling. It didn't tell them anything they didn't already know.

"That's Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora," David told Emma then looked at the monkey in front of them. "Which one is it?"

"Why does it matter?" Regina pushed off the wall.

"Because Aurora was pregnant," David shot back. "And Phillip is a good man. They didn't deserve to turned into this. You have to fix it."

"I have to help my son. Phillip or Aurora can stay like that and aren't slowly dying," she snapped. "Henry's time is slowly slipping away, and you pulled me away from my work for this? Tsk." She shook her head. "If you want to help them so badly, be my guest." She turned on her heel and left.

"She's right," Emma whispered. "Henry's dying a little more every second, and whoever is in here is safe. We'll fix them later. Let's go see Hook."

"Fine." He didn't like it, but he didn't have a choice. "I'll wait outside for you."

She went to see Henry. He was paler than before, but his pulse was still strong and his heart was strong. He was fighting this. She knew he was. He was raised by Regina, so it would be impossible for him not to fight. "Operation Cobra's still on," she said softly. "Don't sign off on us yet."

Mary Margaret woke to sound of Emma's voice and smiled at her daughter and grandchild. "He's in good hands."

She looked over. "I know." She squeezed his hand tightly then crouched down beside her mother. "Have you found anything?"

"Before I fell asleep?" Emma smiled. "Not particularly. A lot of these books are full of curses. They're mostly Cora's, and I'm glad, because if Regina had these when she was trying to kill me—"

"I could've fit you into a matchbox," Regina finished, closing the book she was holding. "If you're too tired to help, I'll understand."

"You would?"

"Yes, I would. It's going to be hard raising that child with Zelena around and rest is hard enough with a newborn, so rest now. I have Belle and whoever else she found helping me."

"Robin and Tinker Bell are at Gold's shop." Emma looked up. "How close are we?"

"Not close enough." She crossed her arms around the book. "I'll figure it out what she did to him, and if that means summoning the dead, I'll do it."

"A séance?" Emma frowned.

"If it comes to that then hell yes."

"Just let me know before you do."

"I don't report to you, Emma, but...seeing as we're...family, I will let you know."

Emma gave a nod then turned to her mother. "If you need anything, call."

"I'm fine." She smiled.

Emma left and caught up to David. They went to the mines to get Hook from his makeshift cell, and Emma felt like she was invading his privacy, but whether he was telling the truth or lying, they needed to know what he was hiding. All they found was a him receiving a bird, but Emma knew that handing writing, and she felt her eyes burn momentarily.

"It was Neal." Emma looked at David. "Neal sent the bird to Hook."

"Why would Neal send a bird to Hook with a potion for remembering?" David crossed his arms.

"We need answers, and I clearly don't have them," Hook told them. "What's the plan?"

"Regina mentioned a séance, and I think she was right." Emma needed to talk to Neal, and if Regina was considering a séance she probably had someone in mind. If Regina needed magic, Emma would give her every ounce of magic in her body if that meant saving Henry. If Neal knew who cast this curse and what Zelena was planning, the price would be worth it.


	4. The Devil Within

Regina prepared the tea for the spell. Emma and the others were doing one last sweep before coming back to her house. Rudy and Granny were watching Henry while they were doing this, but Regina was still worried. She hoped that Neal could give them answers, and hopefully Belle could find something of his in Gold's shop, otherwise Caspar would be their guest. Regina would find a way to tear him into small ghost bits if that were the case.

She turned and ran into Robin. She glared as the tea almost spilled. "What the hell are you doing?" She set the tray down on the counter. "Do you have any—How did you get in here?"

"We've already had this talk."

"Yes, but I cast a spell to keep intruders out."

"Well, I was in here already."

"Fantastic." She moved hair out of her face. "What can I help you with?"

"What's this?" He picked up one of the cups.

"No—don't!" She grabbed his hand quickly, but gently to keep it from spilling and to keep him from drinking it. "It's a deadly poison used for summoning the dark forces."

"I hear most people prefer earl gray." He lowered the glass. "What is this for, might I ask?"

"What I said: summoning the dark forces."

"What purpose do these dark forces serve?"

"I need to know what my mother did to Zelena and what Zelena's planning, and the only two people who know this are dead."

"I see. You don't ever do anything simple, do you?"

She smirked. "Sometimes I do."

"When is that?"

"When? Well, that's my secret to keep, and I've learned other people can't keep secrets."

"You never know. Some people can keep secrets quite well."

"Prove it," she said softly, smiling now.

"Should I knock?" Emma looked between them and then at their hands.

Regina did the same and took the cup back, stepping away. "You're done? Good. Let's get this over with." She picked up the tray, but Emma took it. "What are you doing?"

"Letting you say goodnight." Emma took the tray to the others.

Regina turned to Robin. "You should go."

"We're rescheduling then?"

"Re—" she cut off, remembering their dinner plans that were really delayed. It didn't matter now. Henry was the only thing that mattered. Why didn't he see that? He had a son. Why is he asking?

"I'm kidding. I don't expect you to keep plans when your son is...ill. I simply came to ask if Roland could stay here tonight. I don't have anyone to watch him, and I can't let my men do everything."

"Yes, of course he can stay. If you'll excuse me."

He caught her by her elbow and drew her back. "Thank you, Regina."

She met his eyes. "You're welcome."

"And I'm sorry." She knew he meant losing her heart. "You trusted me, and I let you down." He let his hand drift down her lower arm and he stepped back, heading for the door and she watched him leave without saying anything.

_**If you had been open to the possibility of love when you first saw him, maybe your life wouldn't have turned out so**_—

She sighed and pushed it out of her head. She joined the others and sat down. "Sorry, there was something I had to deal with." She looked at the center of the table and saw the small swan charm with two lit candles on either side of it. "What's this?"

"Neal gave it to me. I've worn it for years, and I was wearing it when he died." Snow reached over and set her hand over Emma's, squeezing it comfortingly. "It's all we have."

Regina nodded.

"What do we need to do?" David asked.

"Focus on Neal." She set her hands on the table, taking one of David's and one of Emma's, Emma took Killain's hook, Hook took Snow's hand, and Snow completed the circle by talking David's left hand.

"Is it—?" Emma began.

"Shh," Regina cut off her.

She opened one eye then closed it, focusing on Neal. She thought of their time together—meeting in his already-stolen car, talking about Tallahassee, the dream catcher, the swan charm, what August made him do, Neverland, his death—and those memories made it hard to breathe. She hated mourning people she loved, because that meant she was one more person away from being alone. Only recently did she did feel that hate.

Emma opened her eyes as the sound of ghostly wails filled the room, and above them formed a vortex of blue clouds that twisted inward.

"We did it." Snow looked into the twirling clouds.

Emma glanced momentarily at Regina then swallowed and spoke to the whirling mass like Regina told her to. "Neal? Neal, can you hear us?" She searched through the cloud for any indication that Neal was there. "Come on, Neal, give us a sign." There was nothing. "You've helped me before, please Neal, don't ignore me now," she whispered.

The table shifted, and Snow gasped.

"Sorry, love, that was me. I crossed my legs and bumped the table," Hook apologized.

The vortex above them vanished, Regina sighed deeply and released Emma's and David's hands then leaned over and blew the candles out.

"Do we try it again?" Snow lowered her hands to her stomach.

"No, there's no point. It worked, the portal had opened, but nothing came from it. He doesn't want to talk to us."

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would he help me remember then not come?" Emma shook her head.

"There's no point to guessing." Regina stood up and went to her cabinet. "There is one other person we can try and contact." She turned, revealing the two-sided candle that took Cora's life. "My mother."

"You want to summon Cora?" Emma knew Regina had someone in mind.

Snow shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"If Neal won't come, perhaps my mother will. It's better than nothing." She replaced the charm with the candle and removed the other candles. She lit the two-sided candle. "Think of Cora."

"Welcome thoughts then?" Hook asked as he retook Snow's hand.

"Whatever you've got," Regina retorted.

They formed the circle once more, minds filling with any and all memories of Cora, the Queen of Hearts. They heard those ghostly wails once more, Regina looked in to it and summoned her mother, but something went wrong. Cora did come, but the ghost that came out of the portal wasn't what Regina had wanted. She was focused only on angry and vengeance. She disappeared into the next room and the windows in the room Regina, Hook, Emma, David and Mary Margaret were in flew open, but before anyone could say or do anything, Emma, David and Hook were tossed out.

"Emma! David!" Mary Margaret tried to look out, but the windows slammed shut and disappeared off the wall. "What just happened?"

"I—I have no idea." Regina slowly rose and they heard a thud from down the hall. "Stay behind me," Regina told Snow as they headed out into the hall. They followed the noise, it sounded like spinning, and Regina wondered what the hell it was.

"It's in there." Regina paused in front of the door. "There's isn't anything in this room. It's..." She reached out to open the door, but it flew off its hinges before she could. Inside was a ghostly display of a woman with her back to them and a wheel for spinning wool in to yarn. The woman turned, and Regina tensed. "Mother?" Her eyes widened then narrowed at them. Cora rose from her seat on the spindle and came at them, looming at Snow. "This can't be. The spell opened a limited portal for talking."

"It's me. I killed Cora. She sensed my presence and found a way to bleep through in to our world." Snow looked at Cora in horror and guilt.

"Watch out!" Regina stood her ground in front of Mary Margaret. "Back off, Mother," Regina threatened. "You will answer my questions. Now, tell me, what did you do to Zelena?"

Cora threw Regina down the hall to get at Snow, Regina groaned and hurriedly got to her feet, transporting Mary Margaret and herself downstairs in to the den. Snow inhaled in relief, but the minute she did, Cora burst through the wall at them, knocking over the table. Regina reacted by slamming magic around her mother to keep her at bay.

"You're holding her off?"

"But I can't hold her forever."

_**~E~D~H~**_

Emma, Hook and David landed on the ground, the wind knocked out of them, and they shared a groan. Emma rolled onto her hands and knees and saw the door was vanishing off the house, David shot up and slammed his hand onto the empty space where the doorway once was, and Hook rubbed the back of his neck.

"No! Mary Margaret!" David shouted. "Damn it!"

Emma stood up. "What was that? Cora?"

"Yeah." Hook looked over the house. "It appears she wants to be alone with Regina and Snow."

"Are all the windows gone?" Emma scanned the scanned the second floor while David ran to the side of the house, and he nodded when he hurried back. "So, what now?"

"Says the Savior," Hook muttered.

"What? Am I supposed to conjure up a door?"

"Yes. Preferably sooner than later. Snow did kill Cora."

"No pressure." Emma walked to the where the door once was and took a deep breathe, holding her hands out toward the door and channeling her magic. She hoped this didn't take a long time, because if Cora raised Regina to be so relentless and ruthless, she didn't want to know how bad Cora was. She'd had a taste of Cora's magic, and she didn't want to see them suffer now that Cora was dead.

~R~A~

Regina grunted. "I don't know how much longer I can hold her off."

"Cora, I am sorry," Snow pleaded with her. "Please, forgive me."

"Save your breath," Regina said. "Your mother was nothing like my mother. She only understands power and weakness, but if she wants to kill you, she's going to have to go through me." Snow gaped, looking at Regina in shock. "This isn't about you," Regina assured her. "This is about her and—me." Regina broke off her magic and met her mother's eyes. "It's time for answers, Mother. What did you do to Zelena?" Regina demanded.

Cora smacked Regina across the face and tossed her onto the table nearby and then the floor.

"No!"

Cora slammed into Mary Margaret's body, causing her to fall back into the armchair behind her, and images of what happened between Cora, Leopold, Ava and Zelena's father flashed in her head.

Regina climbed to her feet. "Mary Margaret!" She hurried over to her. "Hold on. I won't let you go." Reaching into Mary Margaret's shimmering body, she ripped her mother out. She summoned the portal that brought her mother here and attempted to push her through, but Cora fought back. Regina was so sick of fighting with her mother. She just wanted to let Cora rest, so she forced Cora through the portal and out of their world just as Hook, Emma and David rushed in to the room.

"What the hell was that?" Emma exclaimed.

"Cora." She turned to Snow as David knelt down beside her. "Is she okay?"

"Mary Margaret?" David stroked her face. "Can you hear me?"

Her mouth moved as she spoke incoherently. "It was...Cora... We thought... trying to...communicate..."

"She was?" Regina exasperated. "What'd she say?"

"Leopold... My mother... My mother..."

"Shh, Mary Margaret, relax."

"She's not making any sense." Emma looked at her mother with concern. "We need to call a doctor."

"If she knows something that can help us—"

"Regina," David scolded, "it's going to have to wait."

"It can't wait!" she retorted. "If we want to stop Zelena and save Henry, we have to know what she's doing and why!"

"We might be able to answer that," Robin said as he and Belle entered the house. "What the hell happened in here?"

"You do?" Regina met Belle's eyes.

"Well, I can help with half of that."

"What?"

"She's planning on going back," Belle explained. "Back in time."

"Are you certain?" Regina was disbelieving, but Belle nodded. "No one's ever been able to cast a spell to go back in time."

"Well, clearly she thinks she can succeed. I mean—brains, courage, a resilient heart—those ingredients are in every time travel spell I found."

"Why go back time?" David was trying to understand Zelena's reasons. "I mean, we have no idea what she's trying to accomplish."

The fog in Mary Margaret's head cleared and the memories she saw made sense. She lifted her head and said a weak, "I do." She shook her head a little. "She—she didn't—"

"Don't push yourself." Charming set his hand over hers.

"She didn't want to give up Zelena. She was forced to by my...by my mother, Princess Eva." Snow didn't meet any of their eyes, still trying to swallow what her mother had done. "She told a secret, just like I did."

Regina stared at Snow for a moment then averted her eyes.

"Wait, I thought our family were the good guys." Emma looked at her mother.

"Life is too messy for it to ever be that simple," Regina told Emma.

"You're saying if it wasn't for Snow's mother, Cora would've kept Zelena," Charming restated.

Belle nodded. "She would've been tutored by Rumpelstiltskin."

"And all if it weren't for this Princess Eva?" Hook reiterated.

"So that means—" Emma slowly started.

"Zelena's going back to kill my mother," Snow finished.

Realization dawned on Regina. "You'll have never been born."

"I'm guessing this is where your help ends." Emma turned to look at Regina.

Regina met her eyes, not glaring, not hateful. "Now think it through, Ms. Swan, that means _**you'll**_ have never been born and... Neither will Henry." She felt an ache course through her as the words came out of her mouth.

"And on this different path, Regina, you may not be either," Snow added.

"It's a good thing on one's ever succeeded with this time travel nonsense," Hook said on a happier note.

David rose. "The baby."

"What?" Hook looked at him.

"That's what's missing. That's why none have succeeded. Somehow, someway our baby is the key." Charm met Snow's wide eyes. "Zelena went through a lot of effort to get closer to our unborn child. That's what she's after."

Snow put a hand on her stomach protectively. "What is she going to do with it?"

"It doesn't matter." He crouched down and set a hand on her stomach. "She's not gonna get it. We're going to stop her. And since our baby's not born, she's stuck. We have what we need: time."

"Just not very much of it," Snow reminded him.

_~S~Q~_

Regina looked over the mess in her house. The Charmings were waiting for Dr. Whale's checkup results while Emma went to check on Henry and sent Regina a text on how he was doing. Regina was thinking about all the effort Zelena was going through just to have the life Regina had. It was no fairy tale. There was only one prince charming—he dead—there were no glorious balls in her honor, and there wasn't a beautiful wedding filled with people who adored her and would do anything for her. It was as dark and twisted as Cora's and Regina's hearts. If only Zelena knew what she was trying to get in to.

Regina bent down and picked up the fallen candlestick and looked over the broken glass. She decided to clean it up. Henry wouldn't want to come home to a trashy and unfamiliar home. And she needed the brief distraction. It may help her form a new way to go about helping Henry.

"Need a hand?" Snow asked from the doorway.

Regina turned her head. "Shouldn't you be on bedrest?"

"Dr. Whale just left. He cleared me and the baby. Apparently the human body has a surprising tolerance for ghost possession, and he told me I have a tough placenta, which somehow came out creepy." She picked up the broom that was leaning against the desk. "May I?"

She gave a nod. What's the catch?

"You wanna talk about it?" Snow asked as she began to sweep.

And there it is. "What's there to talk about?" She rose, setting the remains of her lamp down. "You officially have a less damaging relationship with my mother than I do, and you killed her." How does that work out?

"About that...I want to apologize, Regina, for Cora, for—"

"For murdering her?

"Right, yeah. I don't take it lightly. I think about it every day."

"So do I. And when I do think about it, I remember that she did kill you mother, so I'll admit that it's complicated."

"Thank you. I'm sure you had some things you wanted to say to her."

"Yes, well, I'm realizing that my mother walled off a lot of her life for me." She looked at the floor. "She wasn't the warmest mother, but at least I thought I occupied a singular spot in her heart." She sighed softly, barely audible. "A sister. Zelena." Having a sister growing up would've been nice. Maybe Regina wouldn't have—No. She wouldn't have gotten Henry. She would never wish for a different life, because this one got her Henry.

"Well...at least we know, you and me, our history—more complicated than we thought." Snow continued to sweep as Regina sat down.

"I know how much you looked up to Eva," Regina almost looked at Snow. "I'm sorry you had to learn she had such darkness in her past."

Snow set the broom against the wall and moved closer to Regina. "That wasn't the woman I knew." She seated herself. "That makes me wonder what happened that changed her." She ran her hand over the table, wiping away dust and tiny bits of broken glass. "I suppose I'll never know."

Regina tried to cheer her up and herself. "Well, we can never know our past completely. If we had, I probably wouldn't have spent so much time trying to kill you."

Snow gave Regina _really_? look then smiled to herself and teased, "Well, we would've found _something_ to fight about. I mean...I was such a brat."

Regina wrinkled her nose. "Your mother's child."

Snow exhaled a chuckle and met Regina's friendly brown eyes. "I think we've wasted our last day being haunted by the past."

Regina smiled. "Now we can focus on being haunted by our...impending lack of future."

"Zelena's not going to win," Snow assured her. "Not with all of us united against her."

"Hope isn't easy when I know she holds my heart," Regina admitted with a head shake.

"Which you'll get back," Snow added, "stronger than ever. That's what it means to be the most resilient."

"That can be another one of her tricks too."

Snow frowned in disbelief. "Regina, I've seen what life has thrown at you, and you _still_ fight against the darkness every day." Regina averted her eyes, feeling a burning sensation in the back of her eyes. "Sooner or later, your heart _will_ find its way to happiness."

Regina scoffed. "That doesn't feel possible." A tear ran down her cheek as all of her loses ran through her head.

"It is!" Snow protested softly, taking Regina's hand in hers. "I know you, and you feel things _deeply_. With or without it, you feel things with your_ whole soul_. Don't let _anything_ hold you back."

Regina had to admit: Snow could give a good damn speech.


	5. Hopelessly Hoping

Regina and Snow went to her vault when Emma called and said Henry had stopped breathing. She ran down the stairs and found Emma and Charming and Hook in the room. She moved through them and sat beside Henry, checking for a pulse. It was so weak, but it was there. He had a pulse. She cast the same spell she cast when they were in Neverland, elongating his life from minutes to hours, if they were lucky.

Regina lifted her head and only Hook and Snow remained. "Where did Emma and the i—David go?"

"They just rushed out," Hook answered. "But I think I know where they're going."

"A doornail knows where they went." Regina headed for the door. "Mary Margaret—"

"You don't have to ask," she replied with a smile. "He's my grandson. Go."

She nodded and hurried to her car, and when she got there, Hook got in the car as well. She didn't have time to argue. She had to catch up to Emma and David before they did something stupid. Henry didn't need them shooting/sword fighting Zelena to get a cure. They would only put him at risk, and if Belle had time to figure out what Zelena was doing, Regina hoped that meant she was close to figuring out what Zelena had done to Henry.

_**~E~D~**_

Emma walked across the gravel driveway while David tried to talk her out of her plan to storm in, use magic she hasn't fully tapped into and demand a cure for what was afflicting Henry. She wasn't listening. She would not lose him, not like she lost Neal and Graham. Magic would _**never**_ touch Henry again after this. She would make sure of that.

"Zelena!" Emma kicked in the door. "Zelena!"

The house was completely empty, nothing moved, only Zelena's name echoed through the house, and Emma took that opportunity to look through her belongings. David helped and looked through the cabinets for anything she may have left behind, but there was nothing. Zelena would never leave the answer right in front of them. She was too twisted with envy to care about who she hurt along the way. She wanted a family, but she was willing to destroy the family she had now... Zelena would never find happiness like that. She would never get what she wanted, but she was too driven, too blinded by her own power to see that. Her arrogance would be the end of her.

Emma noticed something on the floor and picked it up. It had an R written on it, and she unfolded the cloth napkin and found pendant inside. It was like a diamond, only not as beautiful or clear cut and it was tinted red. She gripped it and turned, finding Regina in the doorway with a look of annoyance on her face and Hook was behind her.

"Well, I guess we _**are**_ family. You and Mary Margaret both share that look." Emma walked by her and headed for her car.

"You don't get off so easy." Regina stopped her with magic. "Are you insane? You came here to try and what? Get your ass handed to you? That's if she doesn't make you pick flees out of your fur."

"I needed to vent." Emma freed herself. "Henry isn't going to get better! Belle doesn't have the right material! Zelena's not even from the Enchanted Forest, so any books we have are useless!"

"Do you have any idea how devastated Henry would be if anything happened to you?" Regina demanded. "Or your parents? Or...that?" Regina gestured to Hook. "You're only just grasping your magic and you've been on the bench for a year. You can't protect yourself against Zelena! I barely can!"

"I can take care of myself. I am the Savior."

"That doesn't make you immortal."

"She's right, Swan." Hook met her eyes.

"And I need you alive if we have any chance of defeating Zelena." Regina glared. "You need to think before you act, Ms. Swan. It's no longer just your life—it's Henry's and everyone in Storybrooke who is helpless, like your baby brother or sister."

Emma groaned. "I didn't ask to be the damn Savior! I didn't ask for everyone's life and happiness to rest on my shoulders!"

"Well, too damn bad. It's a part of your life now. You can never change that. So any plans of running back to New York with our son better leave your mind, because no matter where you run or how far, this life will catch up to you. Didn't Walsh teach you that?"

Emma searched her eyes and looked over at her father and Hook then sighed. "I'm sorry, but I can't sit around and be useless any more. I need to do _**something**_."

"And we shall."

~R~A~

Regina and Emma prepared Mary Margaret's and David's apartment for a home delivery, which Mary Margaret wasn't opposed to since that's how she had Emma, and Regina made sure Whale was reachable at any time. She made sure the protection spell was strong then made sure they had everything they needed for the birth. She sent the dwarfs to get what they needed and only then as the dwarfs were leaving did she noticed Emma on the stairs, playing with a diamond pendant.

"What is that?" Regina took it from Emma's hands and examined it.

Emma glared at Regina's rudeness then shrugged. "I'm not sure. It was on the floor of Zelena's house. It was inside this." Emma held out the napkin with the R on it. "Does it have any meaning to you?"

"Rumpelstiltskin." Regina smiled slowly. "That cunning little imp."

"Why do you say that?" Emma felt hope well up inside her.

"Because the properties of this diamond might be enough to save Henry. Come with me." Regina hurried out the door, Emma followed, and they took her car to her vault. Ruby was flipping through the storybook, reading a story to Henry while Granny knitted a blanket for Snow and Charming's unborn baby. Rudy looked up as they rushed in, and Regina sat beside Henry and unfastened the pendant.

"What's going on?" Ruby lowered the book and looked from Regina to Emma.

"We have a way to help Henry." Emma leaned down and grasped his hand.

"Don't touch him," Regina told Emma. "This diamond is extremely sensitive. Once he's wearing it, no one can touch him. It could cause the diamond to become unstable and kill him or him and the person who touched him."

Emma released his hand and placed a kiss on his forehead. She then stepped back and folded her arms, Rudy moved her chair back, and Granny observed as Regina fastened the pendant around his neck and moved back instantly.

The red-tinted diamond lit up when it touched Henry's skin and turned to gold. It began to melt and moved down Henry's chest and up toward his face, covering him completely. Emma stared, horrified, and Regina watched carefully, and the shell around him began to coat the chaise he was resting on and turned clear with gold shimmering protectively across Henry's body. They could see Henry's chest moving up and down as he breathe and his fingers twitched sightly. He looked as if he was sleeping.

Regina smiled through the tears in her eyes.

"It worked?" Granny wondered aloud.

"Yes." She nodded. "It's fighting Zelena's curse."

"For how long?" Emma looked over her son from a distance.

"I can't be sure. I've never found of these, because they're so incredibly rare. I've only ever read about them."

"I'll get Belle," Red assured them. "We'll figure out how long he has, and we'll call you."

"In the meantime, let's go find out what Zelena did to him." Emma headed for the door.

Regina took one last look at Henry then left, but not with Emma. She had something she had to do, and she couldn't put it off any longer. Time was slipping out of their grasp, and not that there was much she regretted, but if Zelena did win, she didn't want to have any regrets with this.

~O~Q~

Regina found Robin at the dock with Roland. Robin was bent down and laughing as Roland caught—rather tried to catch—snowflakes on his tongue. Regina thought of Henry and how he was at Roland's age. She felt her chest tighten at the memory, but a smile spread across her lips at the expression on their faces. She walked over to them, the snow crunching under her boots and the cold nipped at her cheeks, bringing out a rosy hue.

Robin looked up as Regina approached them and smiled. "Milady, hello."

"Hello." She returned his smile. "Having fun, I see."

He looked over at his son. "Well, with our camp destroyed and with Zelena attacking anyone that moves, it's been difficult for me to find a place where Roland can just play." He stood up. "He likes the water."

She nodded and moved beside him.

"What brings Your Majesty out here?"

"I prefer Regina, as you already know." She hoped that didn't come out as bitter as it sounded in her head.

"What brings you out here, Regina?"

"I wanted to talk—about what Tinker Bell told you." She met his clear green eyes. "About the lion tattoo."

His smiled lifted and he nodded.

"I—" Regina cut off suddenly, her beautiful face contorting with a look of pure gut-wrenching pain, and she collapsed in to his arms. It was the strangest feeling, like her entire body was being compressed, but it was slow and it let up momentarily. She knew what it was then. Zelena was crushing her heart. Or playing with it.

"Regina!" Robin gently lowered them down, holding her close his chest. "Regina?"

"Daddy?" Roland walked over to them. "Is she okay?"

Robin held a hand out to his son. "Stay there, son. Please, stay there." He couldn't take his eyes off Regina.

"Aha," she groaned as she felt Zelena's fingers tightening around her dark heart.

"You." Zelena was seething when she appeared out of nowhere, holding onto a white colored object with black shifting and shimmering inside. It appeared to be a heart, and Robin knew it was Regina's. It didn't look the same. It was the wrong color and size. "What trickery is this?" She bared her teeth angrily.

Regina groaned in Robin's arms, and Robin felt Roland grasp is sleep, and Robin pushed Roland behind him with his free arm.

"Daddy?" Roland whispered.

Zelena looked at the small child and flicked her hand in his general direction, sending Roland flying out toward the water. Robin jerked forward automatically, but his body didn't follow. He was frozen by Zelena's magic, and he watched in horror as his son hovered inches from the water, held up only by Zelena's magic.

"Pay attention, sis," Zelena told Regina. "_This_ is how you take away a happy ending."

_Roland_!

Regina used that moment when Zelena wasn't squeezing her her to lift her hand and transport Roland from death to the cushy bed in Mary Margaret's and David's apartment.

Zelena clamped her hand angrily down on Regina's heart, and Robin wanted to be able to move so he could stop this. He hated being powerless. It felt like when Marian died. He'd put her in danger unintentionally, and he lost her before he knew it. He didn't want to lose Regina. He didn't know her very well, but he knew that in time, he would love her. It didn't matter that Tink had told him Regina was his soul mate. What he felt when he was with her told him that. How was this happening?

Zelena watched pain cross Robin's face. "Oh, do you have something to say?" She allowed him to speak.

"Please, don't," Robin pleaded. "You've no reason to do this."

"I've every reason to do this." She bent down and met his eyes, smiling. "Do you feel this too?" She squeezed harder, Regina cried out, and Robin gave Zelena a murderous look. She laughed and turned her attention to her sister. "Your heart isn't the only resilient heart in the world, sis. Using yours was just personal and convenient."

"P—personal?" Regina gasped out.

"You would know for the last few seconds that your heart is the reason you won't live." She held up Regina's hearts. "And this hard, dark little heart that beats love for Henry would be the same heart that destroyed him." Darkness crossed Zelena's face. "Now, I'll just have to settle for killing you."

"All you're doing...is burying yourself." Regina smirked. "And at least...I'm not dying alone." Regina grasped Robin's hand and met his eyes. _Henry...I love you._

Zelena let the wind gather the dust of Regina's heart and disappeared in to smoke, smirking at the look on Robin's face.

Robin didn't move after Zelena was gone now that he was able to. He held Regina in his arms, feeling the difference in her body from when she was alive and...now that she was dead. He felt cold and empty in that moment, and he looked down at the woman in his arms. A hot tear ran down his cheek and the cold of snow falling down on them seeped in to his very soul.

Snow landed on Regina's beautiful face and melted against her still-warm cheek, rolling down as if it were an unshed tear.

_**~E~D~**_

"We should be able to put the baby in here." David was moving things around, making room for the baby while Mary Margaret rested on the couch, and Emma nodded. "We haven't chosen a color yet, but I bought two cans of paints."

"I'm surprised you didn't buy one," Emma joked.

"What do you mean?"

"We both know you want a boy." She picked up a box and began to pack up the sheets from the bed that was once in this room. "You wanted me to be a boy."

"I do want a boy, and as for you? I wouldn't want you to be anything less than you are."

She smiled and set the pillows inside the box.

"So, where's Regina?" He moved the nightstand across the room.

"I don't know. We went separate ways. She's most likely looking into a way to help Henry or stop Zelena." Emma closed the box and carried it downstairs. "She seems to think that diamond is helping Henry, but I have a bad feeling about it."

"A bad feeling?" Mary Margaret frowned. "Why?"

"It's not my Savior senses," Emma reassured her. "I just—it's so strange. How did Rumple know to leave that diamond there? And how did he leave it? Zelena's controlling him. How did he manage that?"

"The same way he saved us from that cell in the Enchanted Forest."

"Maybe." Charming padded down the stairs. "Help me with the crib."

"You finished it?" Emma set the box down on the counter and went to help him. "Or did Marco?"

"It was a team effort," was all he said.

Emma looked at her mother, who mouthed _Marco_, and she laughed softly. "Who's leading? I can."

"I got it." He picked up one end and Emma picked up the other. Together they carried the crib up the stairs and carefully set it down where Mary Margaret had wanted it. They were about to set up mattress and add the toys they'd gotten when Mary Margaret let out a startled gasp. They dropped what they were holding and hurried to her side, thinking her water broke.

"What is it?" David asked, taking her hands as she backed up. "Is it the baby? Are you all right?"

"No, it's not the baby." Snow was looking at their bed.

Emma picked up the wrench on the coffee table and approached the mattress where someone or something was wriggle to get out of the sheets. She reached out and yanked the covers off, raising her arm to attack who- or whatever was underneath. She stopped inches from the child's head and frowned.

"Who the hell is this?" Emma asked as he climbed off the bed and headed for the door.

"I don't know." Mary Margaret stepped away from Charming. "How'd you get here?"

"Wait." Charming stopped the boy from leaving. "This is Robin Hood's son. I remember seeing them together."

"Move!" Roland struggled to open the door. "She's going to kill my daddy! She's got that lady's heart! Move!"

"Slow down." David grasped his shoulders and looked in his big, brown eyes. "Tell me what happened."

"We were on the dock and that lady came then she fell and another lady appeared and started killing her. Please, I can't lose my daddy. He's all I have."

"The docks?" Emma repeated. "Do you know either of their names?"

"Daddy called her Regina."

"Regina?" Snow paled.

"Snow, stay with the boy." David grabbed his coat and handed Emma hers.

"Hurry!" Snow called after them, holding Roland by his small shoulders.

David and Emma bolted down the stairs, feeling their hearts racing at the thought of Regina's death and what it meant. Zelena needed her alive, and if Zelena killed Regina then whatever she was planning now was much, _much_ worse. And if Regina was dead right after Henry just got his memory back... If Henry didn't die from Zelena's new plan or curse, Emma wasn't sure so sure she could tell him he lost another parent. She didn't want to break his heart like that again. He would have to know. This is exactly why Emma didn't want Henry to get his memory back. She hoped they weren't too late, but if that boy was sent here by magic, Regina's magic, then Emma had a feeling that was the last spell she'd cast.

David didn't want to tell Snow that Regina was dead. He knew they had a bond, and no matter what happened between them, that bond was strong. It was there from the day Regina saved Snow from her horse, and it just grew. It wasn't always a friendly bond, but it was starting to become one, and that was what would kill Mary Margaret. He didn't want anything else to happen to his family. He hoped that Regina had a plan and won like the last time. Maybe Roland didn't see what he thought he saw. He kept hoping, but he wasn't sure if that was enough.

He opened the door, they stepped out and the sight before Emma and David made them both stop. Emma's eyes burned at the truth she'd figured out, and David was breathless.


	6. Within Me

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

Robin gently lifted Regina's lifeless body up and off the cold ground and closer to him. He carried her back into town, feeling an ache inside of him that was slowly numbing him. He knew Regina had taken care of Roland, and he expected his boy was likely with her companions, safe and sound. He was grateful that she had done that. He could almost hear her voice telling him, _Nothing's worth the loss of a child_. She could've gotten her heart back with magic, but she saved Roland. He was right. She wasn't evil. Misunderstood, never evil.

When he was right outside Snow White's and David's apartment building, he was met by David and Emma who came rushing out of the building.

"Oh, no," fell out of David's mouth.

"Damn it," Emma seethed.

"Let's get her inside." David held the door open for him, and they all went upstairs. Snow had given Roland freshly made cookies and hot chocolate, and they were laughing. Snow was laughing at the smile on Roland's precious little face, happy to see him cheered up so easily. Kids were so resilient. David and Emma didn't want to move and let her see Regina's body, but it was as if Snow sensed it, because she stopped laughing and looked at them the moment they entered.

"Who is that?" She was out of her seat. "David?"

"It's Regina." David walked over to her.

"Regina?" Snow repeated, her eyes filled with tears. "Regina."

Emma went to sooth her, Snow let out a cry that broke her heart, and both Emma and David held her. Robin set Regina down on the bed and went to his son, holding him close. David guided Mary Margaret to the couch, and Emma prepared some tea to help calm her nerves. Emma felt such anger inside of her, for what Zelena did to Henry and to Hook and now Regina and Mary Margaret. Emma would make her pay for this. There was no way Zelena was getting her little brother or sister. She would make sure of that.

"I don't want tea!" Snow snapped. "I want Zelena stopped! Look at what she's done to us, all of us." Her red-rimmed eyes moved from her husband to her daughter. "I can't lose _anyone_ else."

"You won't," Emma promised.

"How? With Regina gone, all of her magic will be gone too. All the protection spells and Henry's preservation spell—they're disappearing as we speak." She inhaled a sharp breathe. "How can we win now?"

"I still have magic," Emma reminded her. "I'll break this curse and stop her. I've seen what Zelena can do, but she hasn't seen what_ I _can do."

"And Henry? How do we tell him that his mother is dead?"

"We'll do it the way we do everything," Charming told with a small smile. "Together."

"What's Zelena going to do now?" Snow turned to Robin. "Did she say anything?"

"She's still going back in time." Robin stood up. "She's just going to find another resilient heart."

"Fantastic," Snow bitterly murmured.

"We'll find a way." David grasped her hand.

Snow stood up and walked over to Regina. "I don't want to see another funeral."

"I must apologize to you, milady," Robin began, moving across from Snow.

"Don't blame yourself. You're only going to make it so much harder to heal." She smiled as much and as warmly as she could.

"What happened to make you think it's your fault?" Emma stood in front of the end of her parents' bed.

"Zelena got her heart, because I lost it. Regina trusted me to keep it safe, but I failed her."

"You? Why would Regina give something so important to you?" David asked. "No offense."

"None taken."

"Did Zelena say anything?" David pressed. "Not just about getting a new heart. About...anything."

"She said Regina had tricked her somehow. I don't know what she meant." He paused. "There was something rather strange about Regina's heart."

"Strange how?" Emma crossed her arms.

"When Regina first entrusted me with her heart before their fight, it was black and hard, but when Zelena held it, it was white. Does that have any meaning to any of you?"

"White?" Snow frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

"White," Emma murmured. "Hold on. What did it look like? Just white?"

"It was smaller, shimmering and had some darkness inside, but not much." He divided a look between Emma and Snow, seeing their minds grasping for an answer they couldn't yet reach.

"Power and weakness," Snow muttered.

"What makes you weak?" Emma asked her mother.

"Love." Snow's eyes lit up, thinking of Cora. "Love is weakness."

David frowned at her words and when Snow grasped Regina's wrist and searched for a pulse. "Mary Margaret."

"I've already tried that." Robin moved closer to them. "There's no pulse."

Emma saw Regina's hand twitch at her side when Robin got closer, and she blinked. Did that just happen? She frowned and wondered what happened. Was that real? Was her mind playing tricks on her? There was only one way to find out. She moved closer to Robin, causing him to move closer to Regina, and her fingers twitched again. They _did_ move! She found this odd. Why were her finger moving? Was she alive? Was this the trick? What about Robin's presence made her body have this effect? "Why did Regina give you her heart? Of all people?"

"Because I'm Regina's soulmate," he answered honestly. "I didn't know it at the time. I mean, I didn't know before Tinker Bell told me."

"What?" Snow gasped. "You're her soulmate?"

"I thought Daniel was," David argued.

"According to Tinker Bell, it is possible to find love again. Apparently, Regina had a chance to meet me once, but she was too afraid. She came to me today to talk about it, but Zelena showed up before we could actually speak."

"Oh, my God," Snow breathed. "How awful."

Emma smiled. "Regina's going to be just fine."

"She's dead," Robin reminded her, gesturing to Regina, and Snow felt Regina's fingers move in her hand.

Emma was right. Zelena was her mother's daughter. Mary Margaret stated, "Not dead—just...unconscious."

"I'm not following," David and Robin said in unison.

"Love," Snow quoted. "True love is magic, and not just any magic—the most _powerful_ magic of all."

"This isn't a sleeping curse, Snow," David informed her. "Her heart was crushed."

"But it's there." She pointed Robin's chest.

"What?" Robin looked at her like she had grown horns and spat fire.

"Regina's heart resides within you." Emma gestured to Regina. "When you're close to her, her fingers twitch."

Robin moved close to her, setting his hand over hers and her fingers closed around his hand. He jumped back, but wore a small yet entirely confused smile. "Regina's—Regina's inside me?" He set his hand over his heart, brows furrowed.

"She trusted you with her heart." Snow smiled.

"Zelena must have had some decoy, or perhaps even part of Regina's heart, given her current state." Emma folded her arms. "But it's you who holds her true heart."

"How do we get it out?" David rose off the couch.

"Emma," Snow suggested.

"Thank you for volunteering me, but I don't know how. I don't want to hurt him."

"If it can save her," Robin tried to sway her, "I don't care how much it hurts."

Emma looked at him with sympathy. "I'll try, but I can't promise anything." She just hoped she didn't kill him in the process. Or accidentally take his heart.

"Roland. I don't want him to see this." Robin stopped Emma. "Could you perhaps take him to another room, David?"

"Sure." David went over to Roland and got him to go upstairs with him.

Emma took a deep breath in and tried to relax, but she wasn't comfortable with this. She'd felt this before, and it wasn't pleasant. Someone reaching into your body and ripping out a part of you? It was more than violating, and Cora didn't even get her heart out of her body. She had to focus, because she didn't want to kill him or Regina by accident.

"Are you ready?" Emma asked Robin.

"Can anyone be ready for this?"

"No. I'm certainly not."

"Emma, that's no way to encourage someone you're about to do this to," Snow scolded.

Robin shook his head at Snow's words. "She can do it. I have faith in you, Emma."

"How?" Emma blurted. "You don't know me, I mean."

"If anyone can do this, it's the Savior." He smiled encouragingly at her.

"I'm sorry." She reached into his chest, he groaned in pain as she closed her fingers around a heart and ripped it out. He fell to the floor, gripping the area where his heart once was, wincing and gasping in air. He ground his teeth and he watched as Emma walked over to Regina and let her hands with Robin's heart hover over her.

Nothing happened.

"Any day now, Regina."

"Maybe you're supposed to do something more," Snow suggested.

"What else can I do? Light candles and do a chant?"

"Believe."

"She's not Tinker Bell," Robin strained.

"In the power of true love."

Emma wanted to roll her eyes, but instead she closed them and exhaled slowly, calmly, letting the world around her fall away. She thought of her time with Neal as a child, and she felt a swell of emotions. She felt the smile on her lips when Neverland came into her mind, and then a certain pirate's dashing smile.

"Emma."

She opened her eyes as Robin's heart lit up as white and pure as untouched snow, Regina's body was surrounded by a white light, and Emma was pushed away by the magic that true love had created. Robin let out another groan as his own body was surrounded by that same white light, and Snow moved quickly off the bed and covered her eyes.

"What's happening?" Emma called to her mother, eyes closed.

"I don't know." Snow didn't look.

After several seconds, the light died down, Emma and Snow looked and saw Regina was still on the bed. Robin was on his feet, gripping his chest, but he had his heart back. They all felt such disappointment, Emma had hoped the light show would produce a living Regina, but sadly that was not the case. They all looked at her, waiting, holding their breaths, but nothing was happening. She was still pale, still out of it. Still dead. It didn't work, did it? True love never failed, so why did it now?

"Regina?" Robin whispered.

Regina shot up then, gasping. She set her hand over her heart and groaned slightly. "What the hell did you do?" She looked at Emma.

"Me?" Emma stood up. "Nothing. I thought you did that."

"No." She shook her head.

"Are you all right?" Robin grasped her face in his hands, searching her eyes.

She smiled a little. "I'm fine. Thanks to you all." She removed his hands and stood up. "Thank you, Emma."

"Thank Mary Margaret."

Regina turned to her and smiled. "You remembered?"

"You heard?" Snow blinked.

"I just remember you saying it." Regina couldn't believe that. She figured Snow had forgotten. She was so young when Regina told her that.

Snow smiled. "Who else was there to teach me the power of true love?"

"Did it work?" David stopped on the stairs. "You're alive."

"Henry!" Regina spun around. "How's Henry? How long was I out?"

"Not very. Let's so check on him." Emma pulled her phone out. "Belle called."

"Let's go."

David and Snow and Emma walked out the door, Regina was held back by what didn't happen between her and Robin, and she glanced over her shoulder as he moved toward the stairs to get Roland and probably leave. She didn't think on it. She walked over to him, confidently grabbed him by his jacket and kissed him. It was the most she'd felt in a kiss in a long time, much better than the first time.

When she pulled back, she searched his slightly stunned face, and she was worried she'd made the wrong move. But he drew her back in for another kiss and caressed her cheek with his hand.

~R~H~

Once Regina joined the others in the mausoleum, it was revealed that Henry was still alive. Regina was so relieved he was alive, but there was something different. She sensed it, and Emma had too when they arrived. Regina turned to Emma and Snow.

"Exactly how long was I dead?"

"Half an hour, maybe," Snow guessed.

"Oh, no." Regina went white and faced her son.

"Regina, don't!" Belle ran into the room. "Don't touch him."

"Something's wrong," Regina retorted. "I have to know if he's alive."

"It's too powerful," Belle informed her. "And easily made unstable. Rumple told me about these. You have to wait."

"For my son to die?" Regina shook her head. "No."

"Regina!"

It was too late. Regina made a hole in the faintly shimmering shell around Henry and pulled at it. It was difficult, and Regina channeled her magic in to her touch as she pulled. Emma saw her struggle and moved the other side and helped. Together and with magic, they broke through the shell and fell to their knees, weakened momentarily from the strength of the diamond.

"Emma." Snow and David went to her aid.

"I'm okay." She was panting.

Regina grasped Henry's hand and found a strong pulse. "He's okay." They all felt her relief. "I'll stay with him. You can all go."

"Not a chance." Emma took his other hand. "I'm staying too. He's _our_ son."

"And _our_ grandson," David added.

"We'll help Belle," Snow told them. "We'll fix him."

Regina smiled. "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank us," Charming replied. "This is what family does."

Ruby and Granny left to get food for them while Belle, Snow and Charming looked both to the Internet and books for an answer. Regina and Emma stayed with Henry, both holding one of his hands, and Regina tucked hair behind her ear and looked over at Emma.

"You saved me, Ms. Swan, no matter what you think."

Emma shrugged. "It was Mary Margaret, really. I just took out his heart."

"You believed in true love. You, of all people."

"Well, I—What the hell does that mean?" Emma demanded.

"I didn't meant to offend you. You're a skeptical woman. It took Henry nearly dying for you to believe. Who was it this time?"

Emma averted her eyes. "It just thought of my parents' love. _That's_ true love."

"What you feel for Henry is true love."

"Not true enough apparently. I can't help him now." She sighed. "I feel like I've abandoned him again."

Regina looked down at Henry's face and swallowed back tears. "I thought of giving him up once," she admitted softly.

"You did?" Emma's head snapped up to look at Regina.

"_Once_...a long time ago. I knew who you were and what you would bring, so I was going to give him up." She brushed hair from Henry's forehead. "I couldn't do it. I was so focused on my revenge that I almost gave up the **one** thing that I cared about more than revenge. In the short time I had him, I fell in love with him. He was the only thing I ever did right."

"Me too."

Regina sniffed. "I will never let you go away again, Henry. I promise." Emma felt her chest tighten a bit and she released Henry's hand, averting her eyes. "I love you." She leaned down and placed a kiss to his forehead, and the moment her lips touched his forehead, light magic spread through the room, rapidly spreading throughout Storybrooke, restoring the memories of the past year.

Henry's eyes slowly opened, and Regina gasped. "I love you too."

Regina hugged him tightly when he sat up, and Emma felt tears in her eyes.

"You did it," Emma smiled and hugged Henry.

Mary Margaret, David and Belle entered from the other room, and they were all smiling and gave Henry a hug. Regina looked at Snow and Charming, remembering the curse, and she was actually glad he survived.

"How did you break the curse?" Snow asked Emma.

"It wasn't me." Emma looked at Regina. "It was her."

"I knew you had it in you." Snow smiled.

"It?" Regina inquired.

"Good."

Regina looked at Henry, who was smiling at her, and she returned it. "I guess I do."

Emma waited for a moment then brought up the missing year. "What happened? The time you were missing? What happened?"

"Zelena was threatening to take the baby." David took Mary Margaret's hands as he explained to Emma about Rumpelstiltskin's clues and about what Glinda had told them about Zelena's magic being powerful, and Emma put the pieces together. David told them about casting Rumpelstiltskin's Dark Curse, and Regina held Henry close as David told her what his sacrifice. Henry looked at his mother with pride when David and Snow told Emma how Regina had split Snow's heart in half to save them both.

Emma was surprised when the story ended, but she was glad her parents were alive and her heart was heavy once again with the burden of saving everyone. She pushed that to back of her head as Henry asked to visit Neal's grave. They left the mausoleum, Robin was waiting outside and Regina let Emma take Henry, but Henry was nosy, and he watched his mom and Robin as he and Emma and his grandparents walked to their cars.

"So...the curse has been lifted," Regina spoke first.

"Indeed." He nodded. "And the missing year—things were a bit rocky between us."

Regina laughed. "For some reason, you're so much more likable here in Storybrooke."

He laughed as well.

"Do you want to get some coffee?" Regina offered.

"Shouldn't you join them?" He nodded his heard towards her son and the Charmings.

"Where they're going...Henry needs only Emma."

"Then it would be my honor." He leaned down and kissed her once. Twice. A third time. Regina laughed and pulled away, taking his hand and leading him to the cars. The only thing they had to worry about now was getting Emma to defeat Zelena and what color would best suit the newest member of the Charmings' family.


	7. The Glory Of True Love

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

Charming and Mary Margaret stood back as Henry and Emma went to Neal's grave, Emma told Henry about Neal's sacrifice and Henry agreed that his father was a hero. He would never forget what kind of man his father was. His father died so that Henry could live with his mothers and grandparents. He would honor that wish.

"Was it hard?" Henry asked his mother, and Emma titled her head. "Coming back to Storybrooke when you knew it'd be dangerous? I mean, life in New York was pretty good."

"It was better than good," Emma corrected with a smile, "but I had a voice stuck in my head that I couldn't shake."

"Whose?"

"Yours." She rubbed his shoulder. "I knew how you would've voted on this."

"Yeah." He nodded. "And you know what this means? Operation Cobra is back on."

"I'm not sure it ever ended." She put her arm around his neck. "Let's go. I promised Regina we'd meet at Granny's."

They left the cemetery and went to the cafè where Granny was serving up meals at half-price—she needed to make a profit—and Regina and Robin and Roland were waiting with the rest of Storybrooke, it seemed. They all greeted Henry, and Regina waited until she pulled him away and talked to him privately. She wanted to know everything. She'd miss him so much. They stood by the bar, drinking hot chocolate with cinnamon and apple cider, and Regina smiled proudly as he told her about school then about pizza and the Yankees. She laughed and told him to slow down. She wanted to hear it all—the entire year.

"I found an apple tree in Central Park that looked exactly like the one by your office. Of course I didn't know that then, but now I do." He was beaming now. "And guess what?"

"What?" She was excited.

"I got pretty good at math."

"No."

"Pretty good, not Steven Hawking good, but...good." Regina had never felt so proud in her life. "What did I miss here?"

"Nothing much," she assured him, setting her hands on his cheeks. "Nothing that matters now."

"Not even that guy that was kissing you?" Henry smirked.

Regina smiled, but brushed it away. "Let's stay focused on New York. Tell me about the pizza—"

"Come on, Mom," Henry pressed. "Who is he?"

She sucked in a breath and cleared her through. "His name is Robin...Hood." Henry's face went blank. "We _just_ started seeing each other," she assured him.

"Wait," Henry had to be sure it was the same Robin Hood from the stories. "Robin Hood?"

"At your service." He walked over to them with Roland at his side and shook Henry's hand.

"Awesome."

Across the diner, Tink sat with Hook, and Tink had never seen Regina smile so much. She was glad that someone had gotten through to her. She wished it was that easy for the man across from her. She didn't know if she felt sorry for him or wanted to hit him.

"You're becoming quite pathetic," she informed him.

"What do you know of it?"

"If you want Emma to trust you, you have to talk to her." She searched his eyes. "Would you like me steal pixie dust for you too?" she mused.

"No, thanks, love." He tried not to glare as he left the diner, needing fresh air and time to think. He headed for the docks.

A crashing sound came from behind them, they turned as Snow cried out, and fluid ran down her leg and the booth. Emma and David sprung in to action, getting Snow up and out of the booth and leading her to the truck. Regina and Henry followed, Robin went to gather his men just in case Zelena decided to crash the baby's birth. They couldn't get to the apartment, so they went to the hospital. There was no choice.

At the hospital, Robin's men were in the lobby, Regina and Emma worked a protection spell around Mary Margaret's room, and David tried to console Mary Margaret and her fears, and when she looked outside at her daughter and the once Evil Queen working together to protect her and their baby, she felt a little better.

"Do you really think this protection spell will enough to hold her off?" Emma lowered her arms and faced Regina.

"That depends," Regina closed the space between them, "if you're brand of magic is stronger than hers." Emma looked down at her hands, not at all confident. "If it is, no one wielding dark magic will be able to get in here."

"That doesn't sound like a vote of confidence."

"It isn't, but we're out of options." Regina intertwined her fingers then walked over to Belle and Robin when Hook approached Emma.

"Swan." Hook gestured to Snow and David's room. "I heard the little royal was on the way."

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be here right now." Emma kept her face straight and stern.

"I wanna help."

"If you really wanted to help, you would've told me when Zelena cursed your lips," she shot back.

"I had no choice. She threatened you and your family. I was trying to help."

"Telling me what was going on would've been help."

"And a death sentence for your boy."

"Henry's safety is my concern, not yours, which is why I'm taking this fight to Zelena. This ends today." Emma walked away from him.

"Emma, wait." Her father stopped her in the wall after seeing her talk with Hook. "You don't have to do this alone."

"Yes, I do. You need to stay with Mary Margaret's."

"Yeah, I know, but you need help. Take Hook."

She gave him a stunned expression. "Are you insane?"

"He's going with you," he decided for her. "You're going with her," he called to Hook.

"Oh, thought you didn't trust me, mate." Hook walked over to them.

"Zelena backed you in to a corner, you did the best you could."

"See, even your father gets it," Hook pointed out.

"Yeah, because he knows about keeping secrets from loved ones."

"Hey," David protested.

"I'm sorry. I'm doing this alone."

"No, you're not. This isn't about you. This is about _all_ of us."

"What is he gonna do?" Emma retorted. "I have magic! He has _one_ hand!"

"You know I'm good in a fight."

"At the very least, he can draw fire."

"What, now I'm cannon fodder?" Hook dryly laughed.

David looked at her like she was a little girl and was doing something very wrong, and she gave up. "Fine. He can come."

"Fair enough." Hook sighed. "Shall we?"

She saw Henry. "Hang on. Gimme a sec." She joined her son and Leroy. "Hey, kid."

"Hey, Mom." He smiled. "Is the baby here?" He was nervous.

"Not yet, but it will be soon." She grasped his shoulders. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I have to take care of this witch, but it's gonna be all right. I'll be back before you know it."

"I know," he said with all of the confidence in the world. "I'm not worried." He was a little worried, and Regina could see that from where she watched with Robin and Belle.

"Yeah?"

"Defeating bad guys is what you do."

Emma smiled a small smile and embraced him, Regina walked over to them and set a hand on Emma's shoulder. "Go. I'll keep him safe." She moved her hand to Henry's back.

"Thank you." Emma didn't look up from Henry's face.

"You ready, Swan?" Hook called.

With one last look, she turned. "Yeah, let's end this."

Regina put her arm around Henry's back and they watched Hook and Emma leave. Regina gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze then let Leroy take him down to the lobby where Archie was. Henry looked through the classified section of the newspaper and Archie and he spoke momentarily on that. Archie then told Henry was glad to have him back, and Henry felt the same and told him so then returned to looking at the paper.

"Maybe a place by the water," Henry wondered aloud. "With a view."

"Have you spoken to Emma about this?" He looked at Henry. "About staying in Storybrooke?"

"What's to talk about? We're...home."

Regina smiled at Henry's words. She pushed off the wall where she was leaning against and thinking about what else they could do without hearing Mary Margaret crying out in pain. She glad that Henry thought of this place as home, and she hoped Emma saw it as home too. She knew Emma didn't, and she didn't understand that part of Emma. She would rather live a lie than be happy. Here Emma had parents who love her with all of their hearts and a man who yearned after her and a sibling on the way. Here both Regina and Emma could live their lives with Henry in it. Emma didn't have to try and belong here, and Regina could train her magic to where no threat could ruin their lives. How could Emma be so selfish?

Regina smiled to herself. It seemed Ms. Swan and Regina had more than Henry in common. Emma was afraid to be happy. Why? What did she fear losing? Henry? Her parents? Everything? Hmm.

"What's with that look?" Robin asked when he came down the stairs.

"I'm just thinking."

"About what, may I ask?"

"Emma and Henry." She looked over her shoulder at her son. "I don't know that she'll stay once Zelena's dealt with."

"I'm sure Emma will find a reason to stay."

"You don't know her like I do. She's can be quite...unyielding."

"Don't think on it now. We have a lot on our plate, and we need to focus."

"I can concentrate just fine with a clouded mine." She met his eyes. "Are you going to join your men?"

"Yes, the contractions are close together now. It should be any minute now."

She nodded. "Be careful."

He smiled. "Nothing will ever keep me from returning to you."

"You're quite the charmer," she smirked.

"Only for you." He leaned down and kissed her softly.

"Quite the charmer, indeed."

Regina jerked back and found Zelena in the doorway, the first floor unconscious behind her, and Henry was nowhere to be seen. "Zelena."

"Oh, don't mind me." She smirked. "I just came to see the newest edition to our ever-growing family."

"I won't let you near that baby." Regina raised her hand. "One move, and I'll roast you."

"Ah, ah, ah." Zelena waved a finger at her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"And why not?"

"We wouldn't want anything to happen to your dear boys, now would we?"

"Boys?" Regina repeated. "Henry?"

"And Roland. Oh, he's quite the doll." Zelena smiled. "So polite, so full of fear."

Regina held Robin back from doing something stupid. "What do you want?"

"Your heart. Either give it to me peacefully, and I'll return the brats or watch everyone you love die before I take it."

"You won't win." Regina reached into her chest and pulled out her heart, and Zelena eagerly took it.

"Of course I will, dear." She smirked. "That was a nice little trick you pulled. I'll have to use it myself sometime."

"Listen to me, Zelena, I lost when I sought revenge, and so will you."

"Well, there's a difference between you and me, sis." She dropped Regina's heart into a black leather satchel. "I'm willing to do anything it takes. I've nothing left to lose."

"That's where you're wrong. You have one thing left to lose."

"I shall get my happy ending." Zelena waved her arm and Regina and Robin both were slammed hard into the hall and fell unconscious. Zelena smiled and walked through the hall, following the screams of Snow in labor. Rumpelstiltskin met her in the hall where Snow was giving birth, and he nodded. "That's my doll."

"Stop right there." Belle marched over to them.

Zelena rolled her eyes. "Didn't you learn your lesson the last time?" She held up the dagger. "This is more powerful than your true love."

"I refuse to believe that!" Belle spat.

"Belle, go," Rumple pleaded.

"Listen to him, dear."

"No." Belle stopped her. "You've put him through enough pain!"

"And I'm not nearly done!" She waved her arm and knocked Belle unconscious.

Rumple caught her and tenderly set her one the ground.

"Your taste in women really has done downhill," Zelena told him. "Leave her, dearie. Chop, chop!"

He followed her against his will, looking back at Belle once more. In Snow's room, she gave one final push and their sweet, innocent son was born.

David rejoiced, "It's a boy! It's a boy!" He kissed her forehead as Dr. Whale cleaned him off and placed him in his mother's arms, allowing Mary Margaret and David to wrap him and hold him in their arms. He kissed her forehead once more, and then the door flew open.

"The Charming family. It's a shame I have to break it up." She stopped David without even blinking when he pulled out his sword, and their son cried in his mother's arms.

Mary Margaret looked at Zelena as helpless and horrified as the last time she gave birth, her beautiful baby boy crying in her arms and then—he wasn't. She gasped. "No," she cried. "No, no, no, no—"

Zelena waved her hand and froze Snow to the bed. "Hmm, so pure and so innocent. And now...mine." She disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

David fell forward and Snow gasped as the spell broke, and Snow broke down at the loss of another child. David tried to sooth her, but it was no use. They had lost their baby—again. There were no words that could ease that pain.

"He's gone," Snow whispered. "It happened again."

In a rage, David tore off the gown, grabbed his sword and stormed out of the room, passing Regina who held Henry, glad he was safe and unharmed.

Regina released Henry and followed him, "Where are you doing?"

"Getting my son back," he growled.

"You're gonna get yourself killed." Regina grabbed his arm to reason with him. "David, think about this!"

"What's there to think about?" he demanded.

"Don't let him get hurt," Henry asked of his mother.

"What's going on here?" Emma suddenly appeared.

"What happened? Did you find Zelena?" David asked, hope overpowering his voice.

"I—I did, but I couldn't stop her."

"She took your brother."

_No_! "Because I failed?" Emma searched his face and her heart dropped.

"Whoa, slow your horse, you haven't failed just yet," Hook spoke when no no else did.

"Hook's right. Come on."

"No, wait." She gripped his arm, stopping him and meeting his eyes, feeling so disappointed in herself. "Zelena...took my magic."

"How the hell did that happen?" Regina exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter how, it just happened, so we need to find another way to stop her."

"There is no other way."

Emma felt like such a disappointment, and she couldn't meet anyone's eyes, Regina felt hopeless, and their son, ever hopeful, smiled. "That's not true," Henry informed them. "You can do it." He was referring to Regina.

"Sweetheart, I don't think I can survive round three with my sister."

"Glinda was pretty specific. Only the purveyor of the strongest light magic can defeat her."

Henry tried to sway his mother. "Zelena only beat her because you were using **dark** magic against her." He took her hand.

"Yeah, but that's all I have."

"No," Emma joined in, "it's not. When you kissed Henry, that was true love's kiss. That's _light_ magic."

"See, you _can_ do it."

Regina looked into his hopeful eyes. He truly was the truest believer. "Henry, I don't even have my heart right now."

"How the hell did you lose it again?" Emma exclaimed.

"That doesn't matter. You don't need it to defeat Zelena. You don't have it now, and I know you still love me." Henry smiled reassuringly at her. "I know there's good in you."

"He's right." Robin stepped into the room behind them. "I know you can beat that witch."

"But I don't—"

"You have to," Emma interrupted, forcing her in the same position Emma was in when she first came to Storybrooke.

"Once upon a time, you were a villain, Mom," Henry said to her, "but you've changed. You're a hero now." Emma smiled at his words. "And defeating bad guys are what heros do**.**_ I believe in you." _He squeezed her hand. "Now you need to believe too."

Well, shit.

~R~Z~

Zelena cast her spell, the light from each objected burned brightly and began opening the portal that would make all of her dreams come true. She looked at Rumpelstiltskin. "Don't worry, dearie, when this is all over, you won't remember a thing."

"It isn't over yet," David interested her gloating speech.

She spun around to find the lamest round up of wannabe Saviors and the powerless Savior. She smirked. "And who's gonna stop me? Certainly not the Savior."

David saw his son, and Emma glanced at her father. "Go. Get him. We got your back."

"And I've got your heart," Robin told Regina as he and David moved for the thing they needed most.

Regina almost smiled, but she couldn't. She didn't how this would play out. She wasn't sure if Henry was trying to make himself feel better by making her hero or if she actually was one. She just needed to believe, but all of her life, it's been the darkness there, not the light. Whatever light was there was taken. How did she get that bad?

"Zelena, stop now," Regina demanded, not missing a beat, even with her head clogged. "We're not gonna let you succeed."

"Heh. Rid me of those pests." She gestured to Emma and Hook with the dagger then shoved David and Robin back with magic.

"Please, no more water." Hook held his blade against Rumpelstiltskin.

"Get the dagger then the Dark One will be on your side," he told them, magically knocking away Emma's gun.

"Easier said than done," Emma commented.

"Do as I say or I will kill destroy you both. I have no choice." He pushed them back, and they were knocked into hay, falling to the floor and groaning.

"Come for another beating, sis?" Zelena mused.

"No, I came for some jewelry, tacky as it may be." She lunged forward to grab the necklace, but Zelena was faster and knocked her back with the mere nod of her head.

David and Robin made one step, and she called to her Beautiful One. "If you will."

A flying monkey flew down from the rafters and came at them, David pushed Robin out of the way and took a hit from the monkey.

"Remember these creatures are our friends!" Robin reminded David.

"I'll use a gentle touch." David prepared himself for an attack.

"Unfortunately, that's not an option for me." Rumple waved his arm and they flew back into the hay again, landing and nearly falling on each other.

Zelena was enjoying the show, but saw her little sister was left out. She raised Regina into the air, choking her. "Only light magic can harm me, and you're as dark as they come. It's your destiny to be this way." As Zelena prattled on, Emma sat up and thought of a plan. "And it will also be your undoing."

Regina thought of everything Cora did that manipulated her and growled, "Don't—tell—me—what—I—can—be."

Zelena laughed. "I tried to be good once, but it wasn't in the cards." The others slowly made their move as she focused completely on Regina. "This is who I am, and it's who you are!"

She was struggling to breathe, to break away from Zelena's magic when she saw Robin take her heart and he held it out for her to see. "You're wrong, sis." She saw in to the man who cared for her, accepting both her past and future, and she thought of Henry who, despite everything she did to him, saw her as the hero she always wanted to be. She felt that goodness surge through her body, and that feeling was better than dark magic.

The tide turned as light magic as burst through Regina's dark magic, and Zelena looked at Regina with disbelief and fear.

"What are you doing?" Zelena demanded.

Regina smiled victoriously. "Changing." She shot light magic and tossed Zelena to the ground, David looked as she fell, losing the dagger, and Regina strolled over to her big sister, smirking.

"How?"

"I make my own destiny." And with that, she tore the necklace off Zelena's neck and Zelena gasped as her magic left her body with a wave of green lights. Regina and Zelena both watched as her spell suddenly ended, and Zelena glared up at her.

David went to get his son when the flying monkey screeched and came at him. Annoyed and fed up, he swung his blade with battle cry, stopping only inches from Little John's neck when he transformed back into a man.

"Little John, you're back!" Robin stated.

David helped him up then gather his little body in his arms and looked him over closely.

"David, the baby? Is he okay?" Emma was concerned that the spell may have harmed him.

"Yeah," he slowly and proudly replied, "he can handle anything, just like his big sister."

They all stared to leave when Regina spoke to Zelena, suddenly they remembered her and turned to see what Regina would do next. They hoped her change wasn't brief, all but Rumple, that is.

"You failed." Regina was more than triumphant. She laughed lightly. "You're not going anywhere."

"I beg to differ," Rumple darkly challenged, grabbed her by magic and dragging her to him. "I'm going to make you pay for _everything _you've done to me."

"What are you waiting for?" Zelena sobbed. "Just do it!"

"With pleasure."

Regina picked up his dagger and stopped him. "No! Enough. This ends now." She approached Rumple and her sister.

"After everything this witch has done, you're gonna protect her?" Rumple looked at Regina.

"Good magic stopped her, and good magic doesn't exact vengeance."

"She killed my son!" he roared.

"How many lives have we taken to get what we want?" Regina asked him.

He wanted to kill her in that instant. "You can't be serious."

"I am. Heros don't kill."

Zelena was both disgusted and surprised. "So, now you're a hero?"

"Today I am." She and Robin both smirked.

_~R~Z~_

Regina sat outside the cell where Zelena was wrapped up in a blanket, Zelena was so confused, and she no longer knew who she was dealing with. The Regina she had heard about and envied was nowhere to be seen, and yet she was right in front of her. How could she be this person?

"Why, Regina?" Zelena had to know. "Why not just kill me...and put me out of my misery?"

"Because I know why you did what you did." Regina was sympathetic toward her older sister. They had more in common than Regina ever wanted to admit. It was probably why she wanted to destroyed her so badly in the Enchanted Forest. That and trying to keep her mind off Henry. "We're much alike. Our mother ruined you too. I know what it's like to not have the life you wanted—the life you feel you deserve."

"Oh, boo hoo. You got to be queen. You know nothing. I saw it all—you had everything!"

"Did I? So, you missed the part where I lost the love of my life?"

"Mother did all that so you could achieve greatness."

Regina shook her head. "Not long ago, I was a lot like you." Zelena closed her eyes, not wanting to hear her speech. "I wanted to kill someone who wronged me, and I failed. Had I killed Snow White, I wouldn't be in this world, I wouldn't be with these people, and I wouldn't have my son Henry. So, no, Zelena, I won't kill you. Instead, I'm going to give you what I got. I'm gonna give you a second chance."

"What if I don't want it?" She spoke through clenched teeth.

"Well, that would be a mistake, dear. Take it." Regina was genuinely pleading with her. "Use it. Evil isn't born...it's made, and so is good." She stood up. "If I were you, I'd consider creating a new destiny. Because if you don't," she threatened in a low tone, "I'll be there to take your heart and crush it. Now, if you'll excuse me," she pulled out Zelena's pendant, "I should put this somewhere safe."

She left the police station and went to her vault. She waltzed to the chest where her mother's heart once was resting and placed Zelena's pendant safely inside. Closing the lid to the wooden box, she placed it inside the chest and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply before opening her eyes, smiling and walking away. She had someone important to meet.

~D~S~

David carried his sleeping baby boy into Mary Margaret's room, where she glumly lay, trying to rest and waiting, because she had faith in her daughter and husband and Regina. She knew that would be back, but it was killing her slowly every second they were gone.

She opened her eyes and slowly looked over then sat up and stared as David moved closer with their son. Emma watched from the doorway as Mary Margaret titled her head and David smiled at her. She reached out and gently took her son, looking at him with an open mouth, tears of utter happiness rolling down her cheeks. David placed a kiss to the top of her head before setting a hand gently on his son's head lovingly.

Out in the hall, Hook walked up to Emma, and she glanced at him then looked at the beautiful display of love once more. She was apart of that here, but she wasn't meant to be their daughter. They had a new child—a fresh start. Emma wasn't going to stand in the way of that. They couldn't look to the future with her keeping them in the past.

"Never thought I would see one of those," Hook admitted.

"It's called a baby," she teased, eyebrow raised as she stepped toward him.

"No, Swan, that smile."

She beamed. "We won."

He admired her beauty then. Her smile lit up her face, and she looked absolutely stunning. He was at a loss for words, but he had to speak. He had to know. "With...all of the chaos, I never got a chance to say thank you."

"You really think I'd let you drown?"

"Given our history, you'll have to forgive me for being uncertain." She smiled more now, showing her teeth. "Has your power returned now that Zelena's been defeated?"

"No."

"I'm sorry, love."

"It's okay. I won't need it in New York." She left him to struggle with that. "Hey, kid." Henry spun around. "You wanna meet your new uncle?"

He ran into the room, and Emma followed with one last look at Hook. David welcomed them, setting a hand on Henry's shoulder then Emma, and Mary Margaret smiled happily at her beautiful family. All she'd ever wanted was right here before her, and there was no way to contain her happiness. There was only Hook's sad gray-blue eyes that gave hint to something sad rapidly approaching, but as sad as he was, he still gave a smile to the happy family that were caught up in the arrival of the still nameless baby boy in Mary Margaret's arms.

Regina saw Hook lingering outside the door. "You can enter."

He looked over at her. "No. This is a family moment."

She held a vase of flowers for them. "Well, perhaps I should wait."

"Regina." Snow saw her in the doorway. "You brought flowers?"

Henry smiled at her.

"It's more of an apology for letting Zelena take your son." She set them down beside her.

"Don't apologize. You're the reason we have our son and no one was hurt."

Regina smiled. "May I?" She held her arms out, Snow gently set her baby in Regina's arms, and Regina's expression was one that they'd never seen. Henry saw it when they were in the captain's quarters of Hook's ship. "He looks just like you, David."

David smiled.

"So, what do we call this little guy?" Regina asked Charming and Snow.

"I was thinking...we would announce it at Granny's," Snow informed them. "We used to do it at coronations, and we would've done it for Emma, but we never got the chance."

"There's another word for that," Emma said to Henry. "It's called stalling."

"Can I hold him?" Henry asked.

"Of course," Snow replied.

He walked over to Regina, and she set his uncle in his arms, guiding his arms to support his head, and Emma felt her chest tighten at the look Henry and Regina shared. She was taking him away from a mother who loved him truly, but it was for a better life. This wasn't their world. She didn't want him to be tied here like she was. She wanted to give him his best chance outside of fairy tales.


	8. Prince Neal

Regina said goodbye to Henry outside the door of his room in Granny's inn, nodded at Emma and headed home. Emma had Hook watching over Zelena, so Rumpelstiltskin didn't try to exact vengeance, and Regina knew Emma would check in on him frequently. She trusted Emma's decision. Zelena could be one of their greatest assets, if she'd just let go of all that envy.

Regina pulled her keys out of her purse as she neared her front door, but when she reached out to unlock the door, she found it was already unlocked. She opened the door slowly, ready to attack anything that moved, but upon seeing the rose petals, she blinked. She was more confounded than anything. Why where there rose petals on the floor? Who the hell was in her house at this hour?

She closed the door silently and followed the petals to the living room, where a fire was burning and a blanket was laid out just in front of the couch. On the blanket was a bottle of unopened wine, a vase of freshly picked flowers, a plate of bread, assorted meats and cheeses and and a bowl of fruit. She felt someone behind her, and she knew who it was by the scent of pine. He had broken into her house again and laid out this beautiful arrangement for her.

"Why don't I just leave you a key and save myself the wear and tear of my locks?"

"Wrong man, dearie."

She turned and faced Rumpelstiltskin. "What brings you here?"

"I came to see if you used the diamond."

"I did."

He nodded. "Good. I'm glad it helped save the boy." He started to leave when she called to him.

"Thank you," she was very genuine and gave him a smile, "for leaving it."

"I couldn't let anything happen to my grandson now, could I?" He left the house.

"Of everyone here, he's the only one I can't understand." Robin entered the room, and she smirked.

"And you understand me?" She arched a brow.

"I'm beginning to." He held two wine glasses. "Care to join me?"

"Give me a minute." She kissed him then went upstairs, removing her coat and changing out of her dress and into a new one. She ran her fingers through her hair and tucked it behind her ears. She returned to the living room moments later and found he had made himself comfortable on the blanket. She lowered herself down beside him and accepted the glass of wine from him.

"What's all this for?" She brought her legs in.

"For the return of your heart."

She toasted to that and they both drank lightly, neither one wanting this moment to be ruined. They set their glasses down, and Robin began to speak.

"So, how does it feel?" He was curious. How did it feel to lose one's heart? Or to get it back?

"Stronger than ever," Regina smiled.

He leaned over and kissed her eagerly, she could feel her heart responding to it, and she moaned softly against his lips. She set her hands on his cheeks and kept him in place as she kissed him deeper. She felt like this was all a dream. She never thought this would be her life—happy and full of love. She had to open her eyes to make sure this was real, to make sure this handsome, gentle man was actually in front of her. And he was.

Robin pulled back and opened his eyes to find beautiful, but tear-filled brown eyes looking back at him. He didn't understand. "What is it?

She simply smiled and stroked his cheek, smiling oh-so softly. "I just never thought I could I have this," she admitted, voice breaking.

He nodded, understanding her exactly, and they shared a small laugh. Regina lowered her hands, and he rubbed her thigh comfortingly and confessed, "After I lost my wife, I...felt like that for a very long time. Her death was my fault."

Regina thought of Daniel, how he died because of her, and the tears were stronger now. "I'm sorry."

"I would've walked...through hell to be with my Marian again, but...when I finally admitted to myself that she was gone and she was never coming back, I had to let that guilt go." Tears were in his eyes as well now.

"My first love Daniel was killed because of me. Because he _loved_ me."

"And that's why you never wanted to open yourself up again?"

If true love was the most powerful light magic in the world, how was it the reason Daniel was no longer alive? That question ate at her for a very long time then Tinker Bell came and showed her a man with a lion tattoo who was in front of her. "Tinker Bell came to me as she told you," she explained. "She left me to go in and meet the man with the lion tattoo." Her fingers slipped underneath his sleeve to the warm flesh and to the ink of the lion tattoo. "I was too scared to approach you."

He chuckled in disbelief. How could someone like her ever be afraid? She was powerful, intelligent, gorgeous, a loving and wonderful person once you got by her icy exterior. He bit his lip for a second to think. "Well, maybe, things work out when they're supposed to." He stroked her hair and she slowly smiled as he said, "Maybe it's all about timing." He closed the space between them and kissed her, drawing her closer, kissing her deeper, and she raised up on her knees, his boots preventing her from sitting beside him. She settled for sitting directly in his lap.

He didn't mind. He liked having her close. He rested his forehead against hers after placing a kiss on her temple. "I'm glad you weren't harmed this time."

"You and Henry were the ones boasting me to use light magic, and you're glad I didn't get hurt?" she teased, picking up her glass of wine. "Do you have no faith in me?"

"On the contrary, I have endless faith in you."

"How?" She searched his eyes.

"I've heard stories of the good you've done here and seeing you use light magic...you've changed from the stories I heard in the Enchanted Forest, and I can tell that wasn't an easy thing to do." He rubbed her back. "Seeing a gorgeous woman once named the Evil Queen use light magic should affirm anyone, especially anyone who's ever doubted, that you're good."

She tried take a drink from a glass, and he reached up, took the glass from her hand politely and set it on the floor. He set his hand over hers and looked into her eyes. "When you asked me what I saw you in at Granny's, and I said "a second chance", I left something off."

"Did you now?"

"When I look at you, I see a woman who've been through so much, lost so much, but still was able to hold onto a fragment of good. You let that fragment grow and shape you, and there is nothing more attractive to me than that. I see a future with you, a happy one at that." She smiled at his words. "Wait, you were pretty sexy in the Enchanted Forest, if I'm being honest."

She laughed. "Oh, yeah?"

"Completely." He smiled.

She kissed him, slipping her fingers into his hair, and he slid his arms around her back, shifting down down to her leg. Their kiss was powerful, not curse-breaking powerful, but pretty damn close. This was a moment they both knew would come after she kissed him in the forest, and it was perfect timing. She had a heart, there was no impending threat to kill them all, and she had nothing to worry about.

Regina pulled back when her phone rang, and she wasn't going to answer it, but it could be Henry. She stood up and grabbed her phone, and it was Henry.

"Hey, Mom. Am I interrupting anything?"

"No. What do you need, honey?"

"I need a favor. It's really important."

~R~Z~

Everyone pitched in to celebrate the newest edition to Storybrooke—Regina and Henry made lasagna and cupcakes since she doubted anyone would eat anything she made containing apples; Roland and Ruby hung up a sign and made some pies and finger foods; the dwarfs made Snow's baby his own little bottle dwarf style, and Granny added the finishing touches to the blanket she'd been working on for months now.

Five o' clock was the time everyone was to met at Granny's diner, and Regina and Henry were the first ones there, and Granny put them to work. Regina set up the table for gifts, Henry swept the floor, and Ruby made sure the food was still warm as people started to arrive.

"She's fine," Robin told Regina. He had his men watching Zelena now.

"I'll take her something to eat once David and Mary Margaret arrive."

"I'll accompany you."

"I can take care of myself. She's powerless."

"I know you can. I merely want to be with you. Perhaps we can reschedule our evening."

She smiled and saw Henry watching them. She turned to him, and he was smiling too. "I see you're done with your job, Nosy." She took the broom from him, and he laughed. "Go sit down."

"Okay."

Regina handed Ruby the broom and sat down with Henry for a moment, and as people filled into the room, including the happy parents, Regina figured it was time to feed her sister. There was no real jail food, so Regina would bring her a plate of assorted goods from the dishes people brought.

"I'll be right back." Regina left Henry with his grandparents and Emma. She prepared a plate and drink for Zelena, and she overheard Emma and Hook. She stopped and listened.

"Like mother, like daughter." Hook drank from his glass.

Emma cut him a dark look. "Hook."

"What is he talking about?" Henry felt cold all over.

David tried to change the subject. "Should we read more stories?" He turned the pages.

"Actually, I would like to know what the pirate _is_ talking about." Regina walked over to them, and Robin stood beside her and holding the food meant for Zelena.

"It's nothing." Emma didn't want to talk about it, especially here.

"Are you planning on going back to New York?"

"Why would we go back to New York?" Henry looked at Emma.

"You're not," Regina said, "right, Ms. Swan?"

"Actually, it's complicated," Emma corrected.

"Why would we leave?" Henry was trying to understand her reason for wanting to leave. **"**_This_ is our home."

"Henry, this isn't the time or place."

"I think it is," Regina argued.

"No, it's not." Emma left the conversation and the dinner altogether.

"I'll talk to her," Hook offered, sitting his glass down.

"Wait." Henry closed the storybook and held it out to Hook. "Take this. It might help her remember where she belongs."

Hook hurried to follow Emma, David rubbed Henry's back as he looked down in misery at the idea of leaving home, and David reassured him. "It's going to be all right. She's just stubborn like her mo—" He stopped at the look his wife gave him. "—like all of our family."

Henry smiled a little then looked up. "Uhh, Grandpa."

"Hmm?"

"Look." Henry pointed out the window at the mass of golden-orange energy shooting into the sky, and everyone looked on with fear and wonder. "What is that?"

"That," Rumpelstiltskin informed them as he and Belle entered the diner, "is a problem. That light is from Zelena's time portal. It's open."

**~R~R~**

David, Regina, Rumple, Belle and Robin rushed to the police station to see what Zelena had done, but all they found was an empty cell. David sighed in frustration.

"Zelena—she's gone."

"No," Regina said, "She was here where I left her."

"Maybe she escaped. That would explain the time portal," Belle suggested.

"Impossible. Without her pendant, she's powerless," Regina argued. "How could she have escaped, let alone open a time portal, without magic?" She looked at Rumpelstiltskin who was deadset on revenge. "Unless you did something to her."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but no," he shot back, not at all phased by her accusations. Regina arched a disbelieving brow. "Well, even if I wanted to, Belle has my dagger. She would certainly curb any homicidal tendencies."

"It's true," Belle assured them.

David turned to the old camera system. "If she escaped, let's find out how." He crouched and flicked through the hours, Regina sat down in the chair beside him to observe, and Rumpelstiltskin let out a "Wonderful" after a glance at the cameras. Belle looked back at him, and he gave a small smile then tampered with the tape when no one was looking.

"Wh—what was that?" Regina asked when the tape messed up. "What just happened?"

"Yeah, we could use an upgrade." David cursed, "Stupid Betamax." He managed to salvage what happened. "Ah, there we go."

They watched as Zelena used magic to end herself, Regina felt horrified that she would go that far just to escape a second chance, and Rumpelstiltskin was satisfied with the result.

"Well, it seems her great escape was more of a permanent nature." Rumple leaned toward Regina. "I won't ask for an apology."

As if she would give him one. "She must have had just enough residual magic to do herself in." Regina felt slightly numbed by that. Another family member was gone, even one that she didn't like, even hated. Magic's killed more of her family than anything else. "And when she did," Regina realized, "when she was gone, the magic in her pendant had no tether. It was set free—her last wish fulfilled."

"So, how do we un-fulfill it?" Robin inquired.

"That's still in question," Rumple answered. "But until we figure it out, no one should go near it." They all agreed. "A trip to the past would have catastrophic repercussion."

David tried to call Emma to let her know about the portal, but either she didn't have her phone or didn't want to talk to him. He and Rumpelstiltskin and Belle left the station to go back to the diner, David needed to tell Henry and Mary Margaret what happened to Zelena, and he needed Henry to try Emma's phone. She may answer to him.

Regina crossed her arms and looked over the empty cell where Zelena once was. It didn't make any sense. Yes, she wanted Regina to kill her to put her out of her misery, but she never thought Zelena would take matters into her own hands just to escape her life. She never saw that coming. The women in her family were anything but weak enough to stoop to that level.

"Are you all right?" Robin asked.

Regina sighed. "I'm not sure." She crossed her arms. "I'm...conflicted."

"Why? I thought you didn't know about Zelena."

"I didn't, but she was still my sister. I hated her and wanted to destroy her, but..." She trailed off and sighed.

"Let's go for a walk," he offered. "It may clear your head."

"Perhaps." She stepped toward him. "I should check on Henry first."

He nodded, and they left the station. Regina made sure Henry was all right—as all right as he could be anyway—and she even tried to contact Emma, but she wouldn't answer. Henry kept trying to call Emma, Regina tried to cheer him up, but he wasn't in the mood. He even declined Regina's offer to go for a walk. She respected his wishes and took a walk with Robin and Roland.

_**~E~H~**_

Hook and Emma found themselves in Rumpelstiltskin's vault, Hook looked at his empty hand and sighed in exasperation. This trip was really starting to chap his hide. Emma gaped at the size of the dully shaded room, holding the wand in her hand. The room seemed to expand for ages, leaving only darkness above them and a few lit torches around them.

"No," Emma muttered.

Hook set the woman Emma had saved on the table and looked around, finding a mirror. "Eh, at least he did us one favor." He grinned at Emma. "I'm devilishly handsome again."

It was Emma turn to sigh.

Hook noticed a cabinet and opened the doors with his hand. Perhaps something in this could get them out. It was better than waiting to die. Inside all he found was a golden chain. He picked it up and examined it.

Emma turned and exclaimed, "Wait! Don't touch anything!" He quickly set it down on the table in front of him. "If Rumple's afraid of this stuff, there's gotta be a reason."

"I'm just trying to figure a way out."

"I don't think there is one." Emma felt the bottom fall out on her again. She wasn't even surprised. "And what's the point? You heard what he said: we can't reopen the portal."

"But you can," Hook corrected, and Emma turned away. "All he said we need is magic. You're the Savior, Swan. You can do it."

"Not anymore. I lost it." She wouldn't look at him directly.

"When Zelena died, all of her spells were undone. Your powers should've been restored."

"Believe me, if I could make it work,_ I would,"_ she spat. "Do you think I'm faking it?"

"I think not having magic makes it a hell of a lot easier for you to run back to New York and pretend to be somebody else!" She held her tongue as he continued. "Well, listen to me, Swan—you're _not!_ It's time to stop running."

"You think I don't know that?" She met his eyes. "Yes, I run away. That's how I've always survived, but believe me, I want this to work. I wanna go back. I wanna stop running."

He eyed her. "What's changed your mind?"

"Watching my mother die." The very words made her stomach fall, and she felt short of breath. "Thinking she was dead... You saw what happened." Silvery tears clouded her eyes. "I was so relieved when she was okay, and I hugged her and you know what I saw in her eyes?" Her voice was small. "Nothing. She didn't know who I was. I had saved her and lost her too. And that's what I've been doing to her since_ I met her_. It's gotta stop.

"When Henry brought me to Storybrooke, he told me I was the Savior. I didn't see what he was really doing. He wasn't bringing me back to break a curse. He was bringing me home. Neal was right."

"About what?"

"You don't have a home...until you just miss it, and being with my parents the past few days, but not really being with them...I've never missed them more. Storybrooke...is my home." Emma noticed the smile on Hook's lips. "What?"

"Look down."

She did. She stared at the glowing silver wand in her hand, stunned. Her magic was back and guiding her home.

"I'd say you got your magic back. Now, shall we go?" He stepped aside.

Hell, yeah. Emma stepped forward, closed her eyes and thought about home, her parents, her son, her baby brother, hot coco with cinnamon on top, and she felt magic course through her. She opened her eyes as the vortex formed and smiled as Hook picked up the still-unconscious woman.

"Well done, Swan." He carried her through the portal.

Emma was about to follow when Rumpelstiltskin appeared. "You opened it." She turned and he grabbed her forearm. "Wait."

"Lemme go!"

"My son. What happens when I find him?"

"I thought you wanted to forget!"

"Before I do, I have to know: does he forgive me?"

"Yes."

He could sense she was holding something back. "Yes, but what?" She silently whimpered. "What aren't you telling me?" He waited for barely a second. "Tell me or you will never leave!"

"He dies!" Her voice was tight. "He forgives you. He loved you. He died to save all of us—don't let that be in vain."

Rumple refused to believe that. "No, I—I can change what happened. I can save my boy!"

"You think you can change the future, but you might make it worse." Tears streamed down her face and her voice broke. "I loved him too. I wanted to save him. He died a hero, you can't take that away from him! You have to drink the potion! You have to forget everything I just told you!"

Rumpelstiltskin drank the potion and let go of Emma's arm, the portal vanished, and he wondered what that foul taste was in his mouth. He noticed the wand on the floor and picked it up then he took in the room he was standing in. "What the hell am I doing in here?"

_**~E~M~D~**_

They landed back in the barn where Zelena had originally cast the curse, Hook grunted when he landed, and Emma groaned in to the dirt. The portal closed behind them, and Emma rolled over.

"Oh, God." She took Hook's hand and stood up. She saw the woman was waking and spoke to Hook, "Do me a favor. Fill her in and make sure she doesn't freak out."

"Where are you going?"

She grinned. "I have some people I need to see." She turned and ran out of the barn towards Granny's.

When she arrived, Mary Margaret and David were holding her baby brother, and she wasted no time in tackling them—gently—in a big hug. Mary Margaret's eyes widened at the sight of her daughter.

"Emma!"

She embraced them, and David stroked her hair. "You weren't answering your cell. We were worried."

"I'm fine," she assured them, and they stared. "I'm home."

Henry looked up.

"Do you mean that you're not leaving?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere."

Henry jumped up and smiled. "We're staying in Storybrooke?"

"Yeah, kid." She put her arm around his shoulder in a hug. "This is where we belong. This is where our family is." Emma looked at Mary Margaret. "Mom." Then David. "Dad...I missed you." She released Henry and hugged her parents once more.

Once Emma calmed her emotions, they sat down, and Emma filled them in on what happened to her and Hook. Snow was the first one to question this. "Wait, you're Leia?"

Emma felt embarrassed, so she closed the book.

Henry commented, "Nice alias."

"I was in a pinch."

"Well, there you go. You're officially one of us," David told her.

"A fairytale princess at last." Mary Margaret smiled.

"And as my first princess-y request," Emma said once the laughter stopped, "I would like to know the name of the baby."

"Right," David crossed his arms, "that. Ready?" Mary Margaret nodded, and David picked up his glass and kissed his wife's head. "All right, excuse me. If I could have everyone's attention for just a moment."

Everyone stopped their conversation and turned toward Charming, giving him their full attention.

"Uhh, this coronation ceremony is something we've looked forward to a long time." He ran his eyes over all of the smiling faces, even Leroy. "The arrival of our new son has been the cause of great joy for our family, and we hope that you can share in it as we name him for a hero. Someone who...saved every one of us, who we loved and he loved back." He looked tenderly down at his wife and son.

"People of Storybrooke," Mary Margaret announced, "it is our great joy to introduce you to our son, Prince Neal."

Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes at her words, and Emma immediately felt tears burn in her eyes. She shared a look with her mother. They both felt happy and sad. Neal would be honored and loved, and her little brother was named after a selfless, loving, honest hero. Emma knew he would live up to his name.


	9. You Did This

Everyone applauded, and Emma reached over and gently grasped Neal's little arm, his tiny fingers curled around her index finger. "It's so nice to meet you, Neal." She suddenly realized who wasn't there, and she looked behind her, out the window where Killian Jones sat alone outside.

She joined him and slid into the chair beside him. "So, do you think Rumpelstiltskin is right? I'm in the book now. He said everything besides our little adventure would go back to normal. Do you think that it is?"

"He's right. Otherwise I would remember that damn bar wench I kissed."

She smirked. "How would that prove anything?"

"I know how you kiss," he smirked back. "I'd have gone after her, but I didn't. My life went on the same as before."

"Yeah, it must've been the rum," she teased.

"Everything's back to normal," he said in all seriousness. "You're a bloody hero, Swan."

"So are you." He chuckled as if amused. "I wanted to thank you, Killian, for going back for me in New York. If you hadn't—"

"It was the right thing to do."

"How did you do it?" Emma inquired. "How did you get to me?"

"Well, the curse was coming, I ditched my crew and I took the Jolly Roger as fast and as far as I possibly could to outrun it."

"You outran a curse?"

"I'm a hell of a captain." She chuckled this time. "And once I was outside the curse's range, I knew that the walls were down, transport between the world was possible again. All I needed was a magic bean."

"Those are not easy to come by."

"They are if you've got something of value to trade," he corrected, not looking at her.

"And what was that?"

"Why the Jolly Roger, of course."

"You traded your ship for me?" Emma was **almost** disbelieving.

He swallowed. "Aye."

She leaned over and kissed him. And she kept kissing him, but not out of gratitude or thanks this time.

_**~RB~**_

At this time, Rumpelstiltskin and Belle were getting married by the well that had brought quite a lot to Storybrooke. The only two people there were Belle's father and Archie. They didn't need a fancy wedding with love like theirs. Just a few candles and the bride and groom were all that they needed. Archie was smiling as Belle began her vows.

"Rumpelstiltskin, this thing we have it's—it's never been easy, and I've—I've lost you so many times. I've lost you to darkness, to weakness, and finally to death, but now I realize—I realize that I have not spent my life losing you—I've spent my life **finding** you."

_Mary Margaret and David sat in the diner with their beautiful baby boy, Neal. They had so much to be thankful for, and there were so grateful to Neal, Emma and Regina. They had all overcome something, and they came out __**better**__ for it._

"Belle, when we met, I wasn't just unloved and unloving: I was an enemy of love. Love had only brought me pain, my walls were up, but you brought them down. You brought me home."

E_mma had taken Neal's word to heart. She would find Tallahassee, but to that she had to open her eyes and heart to the amazing man in front of her. She couldn't keep running away, and she wouldn't. She meant that they were home and here to stay. She would __**never**__ forget that._

"You brought light into my life and chased away all the darkness. And I vow to you I will never forget the distance between what I was and what I am. I owe more to you than I can ever say. How you can see the man behind the monster—I will never know."

_For the first time a very long time, Regina was entirely contented. She was exceedingly, incandescently contented. She had a good man in her life and her son. She didn't have to worry about Cora lurking in the shadows anymore. She didn't have to worry about Zelena or Emma. She knew Emma would make the right choice for once in her life. She could be happy, and there were no consequences. No one would get hurt from her loving them. She didn't think she could smile this much, but she was, and it was entirely genuine. She had a family. A large family that's filled with people she tried to destroy, but the past was the past, and she let go of that with Mary Margaret. She had nothing but a good future ahead. She would make it good with her son and the man with the lion tattoo._

"But that monster's gone and that man beneath him may be flawed, but we all are. And I love you for it. Sometimes the best book has the dustiest jacket, and sometimes the best teacup is chipped."

And on that note, they shared a kiss and were married.

~_**RE~**_

Regina, Robin and little Roland returned to the diner, Regina's head was clear, and she smiling. She released Roland's hand just outside the diner and grasped Robin's hands. They shared a passionate kiss, both smiling, and they shared one short kiss before entering the diner.

Robin pointed into a booth. "Oh, let's sit here."

Regina entered, and the woman Emma had brought back tensed and nearly dropped her teacup.

"It's the Evil Queen," she told Emma, fear spreading through her body, yet confusion at the sight of Regina's smile. No one was bleeding and no one's heart was in her hand being crushed to ash.

"It's okay." Emma was on her feet. "She's different now. She's not the same person anymore. You'll see. I'll—I'll—Just stay here." Emma walked over to Regina. "Regina. There's something you should know. I brought someone back from the past." Regina's brows rose. "This woman, and she still thinks of you as..."

"Evil," Regina finished for her.

Emma nodded. "I'm gonna bring her over. I already told her that it's okay, but it's a little delicate, and I feel like if she met you, she'll see—"

"I understand," Regina politely interrupted her.

Emma returned to the woman and led her back to Regina, nice and slow, trying to calm her fears, and Emma began to introduce her. "Regina," Emma smiled, "I would like you to meet—"

"Marian?" Robin was out of the booth, eyes wide with tears, and all three women looked at him. "Marian?"

"Robin?" the woman exclaimed in confusion and hope.

Regina saw the look they shared, very like the one she shared when Whale brought back Daniel, and her newly returned heart...sank as she watched them.

"I thought you were dead." He pulled her into a tight hug. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"And I you!"

Roland was out of the booth now as well. "Mama?"

She looked down then crouched down, setting her hands on his cheeks. "Roland." She was crying now and picked him, embracing him tightly. "My baby! Roland!" She stepped back into Robin's arms, and he held her and their child, kissing her hair, feeling a rush of emotions while Regina's eyes were red with unshed tears.

"You...?" Regina asked Emma, not even angry, but disbelieving and hurt. "You did this?"

Emma saw the look in Regina's eyes and felt what her mother surely felt. "I...just wanted to save her life," Emma softly reasoned.

"_**You're just like your mother,"**_ Regina's voice was low and thick, and angry was now there,_**"**_never_** thinking of consequences!"**_

"I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't," Regina hissed. "Well, you'd better hope to hell you didn't bring anything else back." With that, Regina turned and left the diner. She padded down the stairs and covered her mouth with her hand, calming herself, refusing to let her emotions rule her at that instant. She wasn't a child anymore. She could and would handle this. She needed to be calm for Henry's sake.

The bell jingled behind her, she didn't want to face Robin just yet, and she turned to tell him to leave her be, but found Henry standing behind her. His hands were in his pocket, the scarf she'd given him so many years ago wrapped around his neck, and that smile—that comforting, loving smile on his lips. Her little prince had come to her aid.

"Hey." She smiled, trying to keep her eyes from giving her away.

"Hey." He stepped closer. "Where're you going?"

"Home. It's late."

"You don't have to, you know," he told her softly.

"Have to what?"

"Lie. I saw what happened, and you can tell me anything. I'm not a little kid anymore."

She smiled warmly at him and hugged him. "I love you, Henry."

"I love you too, and I'm not going anywhere. Heros need a sidekick, and I'm yours."

"Well, my little prince," she set her hands on his cheeks, "let's go home."

He nodded. "Sounds good. Let me grab my gloves."

"I'll be here." She watched him go inside then turned and ran a hand under her eyes. She heard the bell sound. "Hey, why don't we make your favorite dinner tonight? It'll be our own celebration." She turned to her son, but found only Robin Hood.

"Regina—"

"Let's go, Henry."

Henry moved around Robin Hood to his mother, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and led him toward her car. Henry looked back at Robin as he watched them walk away and then his mom. "You're not even going to talk to him?"

"Him?" She shook her head. "There's no need yet." It would happen eventually, but eventually was not today.

_**~RH~**_

At their house, Henry went to his old room and looked around. Regina checked in on him after she removed her gloves and scarf and smiled. This room was so incomplete without him in it. The house was a home again.

"I've missed this room. I didn't know it, but I really did." He sat down on his bed, remembering his childhood and glad to have those memories.

"I'm glad." She sat beside him. "I was afraid you wouldn't."

"Well, I did. This is home. Storybrooke is my home."

She smiled. "Good. Let's see what we'll have for dinner."

"Okay, but I ate a lot at Granny's, so..."

"Popcorn and hot chocolate with cinnamon on top," she guessed.

"Sounds great. We can talk more. There's much I have to tell you."

"I'll meet you downstairs."

Regina prepared the hot chocolate and popcorn while Henry removed his coat and scarf before going to the fireplace to make a fire. He noticed the ashes and wondered when his mom made a fire. She usually didn't. He suspected Robin had something to do with it.

"All right." Regina handed him a mug of hot chocolate, the popcorn was on the table, and she joined him on the couch. Henry started to talk about school, Regina could practically see it with the amount of detail he gave, and she saw nothing in his eyes that indicated he missed New York. She only saw fondness from the memories.

They moved onto the floor closer to the fire to feel its warmth as Henry talked about his friends and all that they did. Regina was so proud of him and so pleased he had a good year and made a lot of good genuine friends. She only hoped he didn't miss them too much. She didn't want Henry to miss out on anything. She hoped they kept in touch via the Internet or whatever the hell Skype is. Henry was tech savvy, so she knew he would find a way if he wanted to keep in touch with them.

By their second mug of hot chocolate, Regina had told him about her time in the Enchanted Forest. She left out the part about trying to put herself under a sleeping curse. She could tell he wanted to see the Enchanted Forest for himself, experience the world she and his parents and grandparents had came from, and she knew he would _probably _never see it. But perhaps, he may see it one day—he had the will, he just needed a way and he would find it. If he did find a way, she knew he would like it. It was the perfect place for a boy with his imagination. He would love all of it, even the parts she wasn't fond of.

Now the clock read past one in the morning, the fire popped softly and the two empty mugs lay on either side of Regina and Henry as they lied sleeping on the floor, the blanket from the back of the couch draped over them.

_**~RS~**_

In the morning, Henry woke up before Regina, and he made sure the fire was completely out before he took the dishes into the kitchen, placing them in the sink. He headed back to the living room to wake his mom, but before he could call to her, someone knocked on the door. It was most likely Emma coming to check in on them.

He opened the door and on the other side with a paper bag was David. He smiled. "What're you doing here, Grandpa?"

"I figured you and Regina would stay in, so we brought bagels."

"We?" Henry saw Mary Margaret and baby Neal coming up the sidewalk. He didn't know how his mom would react to her being here. He knew she wouldn't do anything to hurt Mary Margaret, but he didn't want to upset her. "Mom's asleep."

"We'll be quiet," Snow promised.

He let them in and David gave him a fresh bagel from Granny's. Snow handed the baby to David and went to the living room to see if Regina wanted a bagel, but when she saw Regina curled up on the floor, sleeping peacefully, she let her be.

"So, did you talk?" Snow asked Henry as she reentered the kitchen.

"All night." Henry poured himself a glass of orange juice. "It was great."

"Did she say anything about—?"

"No, and I didn't want her to think about him."

David rocked his son. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah."

There was another knock on the door, Snow let them talk and answered it. It was probably Emma. She said she was going to meet them either here or at the station. Unfortunately, it was Robin.

"No," was all Snow said.

"I just came to see how she is."

"You have no reason to see how Regina is."

"Mary Margaret, please, I just need to talk to her."

"I have to respect her wishes."

"Ten minutes?"

"No."

"Five minutes?"

"No."

"I saved your life once, doesn't that mean anything to you?"

She said nothing. She didn't want to let him in because of Regina, but for her, she wanted to let him in. He was the reason Regina had been able to smile when Henry didn't remember her. He helped to get her baby back from Zelena as well. She didn't want to upset Regina—they'd just gotten to a point where they could be friends—but she knew Regina needed to talk to him. Maybe now wasn't the time, though.

"Two minutes?" There was something in his voice that made her look up. He looked genuinely worried about her, and she knew that look. It was the same look David wore when he was married to Kathrine, before the curse was broken. If Regina felt even a portion of what Snow felt while with David...

"One." She moved aside and pointed to the living room.

Robin gave her a thankful nod before entering the house and going to the living room. He smiled a little at how Regina looked. Her expression was so peaceful. She looked so beautiful and innocent. This was the woman he fell in love with.

Regina's eyes fluttered and slowly opened. "Henry?"

"I believe he's eating breakfast." He could smell the coffee.

Regina sat up at the sound of his voice. "What the hell are you doing in my house?"

"Snow let me in."

"Then I'll let you out." She stood up and headed for the door then returned to the living when she realized he wasn't following. "Can you not hear? I asked you to leave."

"Well, I'm not leaving." He crossed his arms. "Not until you talk to me."

"My asking was me being polite." She glared. "It's misused. I don't want you here. I don't want to talk to you."

At the loud, harsh tone in Regina's voice, David, Henry and Mary Margaret stepped into the room. Henry saw the look on his mom's face and how Robin was holding his ground. He didn't want this to happen.

"Is everything okay?" Henry asked.

"Yes, Robin was just leaving." Regina smiled as best she could at her son and put her hands on his shoulders. "Say goodbye, Henry."

"Regina—" Robin began.

"Bye," Henry cut him off.

"Let me show you out." David set a hand on Regina's arm then waited for Robin and escorted him out.

"David brought bagels," Mary Margaret shifted the baby in her arms.

"I'll have coffee and a shower." Regina squeezed Henry's shoulders. "But I expect you to eat, okay?"

"Okay."

Regina went upstairs and took a long shower. Once she dried off and changed, she joined David, Mary Margaret and Henry in the dining room, and the second she entered the room, a cup of tea was thrust into her face. She blinked and frowned. "That's not coffee."

"Tea is more relaxing, and it's better for you."

Regina signed but took the cup from her and sat. She ran a hand through her hair, and she brought the cup to her lips. "Why are you all staring at me?" She looked among them.

"I just wish you would eat something," Snow replied.

"I'm not hungry." She drank from the cup, and Henry excused himself to the bathroom. "So, where's Ms. Swan?"

"Emma's at the station." David splayed his hands on the table. "I'm meeting her there later. Why do you ask?"

"Just making sure she's not ruining someone else's life."

"Regina," Snow began, "Emma was just trying to save a woman's life."

"She knew not to change anything. She nearly caused David to married Princess Abigail and you to burn to death!" Regina was annoyed.

"But she fixed it. Everything's fine."

Regina curled her fingers around her cup. "I'd like to see things from your point of view, however; I can't seem to get my head that far up your ass."

Snow frowned. "Regina—"

"Don't bother, I already know what you're going to say. You're more predictable than an after school special." She sighed and picked at the design on her teacup. "Perhaps Tinker Bell was wrong."

"Wrong?" David felt his guard raise.

"Robin was "my chance at love and happiness"." She scoffed and shook her head. "Henry is my love and happiness, not that thieving vagabond." Who needs Cora's ambition when you the Savior to ruin your life? Love, true love, brought her nothing but pain anyhow. Henry was the only one who was worth it. It wasn't as if she loved Robin. She would be fine. Her resilient heart would just get over it. Well, at least she wasn't bitter.

Snow felt her heart ace at Regina's expression. "Regina, you can't think like that."

"Why are you so sickeningly optimistic?" Regina retorted. "It's not infectious either, so don't try and change my mind with your—"

"Rainbow kisses and unicorn stickers?" Snow guessed.

Regina glared. "The only happy ending I have room for in my life is with Henry."

"How do you know Robin won't try and make it work?" David argued. "I've seen the way he looks at you."

"Yes, because I've always wanted to pursue a married man." Regina then commented, "Have you always been this stupid or are you making a special effort today?"

David clenched his jaw.

"If he is your chance at love and happiness, your heart will only suffer. You can't avoid them." Snow searched her eyes.

"Them?" Regina leaned back, crossing her legs.

"Your feelings."

"Well, I can assure you: I have none." She drank from her cup.

"Lying to yourself won't make this easier."

"Don't pretend to know me, Mary Margaret. We are two _very_ different people." She set the empty teacup down. "And I'm not low enough to involve myself with a married man." She rose. "You were right about the tea. It is relaxing."

Snow and David felt very, very worried


	10. Responsibility

Regina and Henry met Emma and Hook at Granny's for dinner. Henry was going home with Emma tonight, and it depressed Regina. She loved their time together, but she couldn't expect him to stay with only her. She would talk to Emma tonight and get their arrangement finalized.

"Here they are," Killian said at the arrival of Henry and Regina. "Did you have fun, mate?"

"Yeah." Henry slid into the booth after Regina. "We fixed my old bedroom."

"Did you?" Emma smiled. "We haven't even found a place to stay and already you're fixing up your old bedroom?"

"Well, I was hoping to stay with Regina for a while, if you don't mind." He smiled hopefully.

"Oh." Emma's smile fell. She looked at Regina accusingly, but Regina looked just as surprised by his request. "Henry—"

"Before you say no, remember I spent a whole year just yours." Henry didn't want to leave his mom right now. She was alone, and he didn't want to her to be. She needed him, and he wouldn't abandoned her. A tiny part of him was worried she might fall back on old habits, and he didn't want that to happen. He believed in her, but feeling alone screws with your head and makes you do stupid things. "Please, Mom? Please."

Regina had ten years under her belt, but... Emma slowly sighed. "Until we get a place and I settle things in New York."

Henry grinned. "Thanks."

"Let's order," Hook suggested, waving Ruby over.

She strolled over to them, but was cut off by Roland running by and tripping her. Whale caught her shoulders, even though he didn't need to, and she caught her pen and tablet with her wolf reflexes. Ruby was used to little kids rushing rudely by her, especially when they're hungry.

"Are you all right?" Whale asked.

"I'm fine. I've been through worse than a kid tripping me. I'm a wolf, remember?" She smiled though. "But thank you for asking." She turned to Emma, Regina, Hook and Henry, ready to take their order. "What can I get you?"

"Four burgers?" Emma asked, and no one minded. "And four iced teas."

"Coming right up." She spun around, gave their order to the cook and prepared their drinks.

"Roland!" Robin marched into the diner, looking angrily toward the boy. "Roland, get back here right now."

Henry set his hand over his mom's and squeezing it, Emma felt waves of guilt ripple through her body at the sight of that and Robin, Killian could sense it, but she didn't need his comfort. It might cause even more problems between Emma and Regina at the moment. The entire table's mood had rapidly plummeted.

Robin stopped scolding his son and looked over at the table where Regina sat. His eyes met Regina's face, but she wasn't looking at him. He felt a horrid ache inside, and his eyes gave him away. Distantly, he heard his wife enter the diner.

"Robin?" Marian noticed the way Robin was looking at the Evil Queen. _How_ could he look at her like that? _Why_ would he looked at her like that? Not only was he married to her, but that woman had made their lives in the Enchanted Forest a living hell. She made no place safe for them or the merry men or their child to be. _So...why?_

Ruby broke up the tension and moved Robin by coming in with a tray of iced tea. She set them down on the table as Robin and Marian sat at the other end of the diner with Roland. "Four iced teas with lemon. Your burgers will be done shortly."

"Thanks, Ruby." Emma removed the lemon from the side of her glass.

Hook wanted to lighten the mood, so he looked at Henry and gestured to the lemon. "Dare you to eat that, mate."

"No way."

"It's just a lemon. You've been through worse."

Henry pursed is lips then removed the lemon from the edge of his glass and stuck it into his mouth. The face he made—lips puckered, eyes squeezed shut, hands balled up in fists—was just hilarious. They all busted out laughing loudly from the bottom of their stomachs. They drew in everyone's attention, but they either smirked or giggled at Henry's expression as well.

"Blek!" Henry groaned.

Robin had looked up when the laughter began, Regina's face was lit up and beautiful. She looked happy. He was glad, but it was fleeting. He had been with her this past year, not always so friendly, but they were together. He'd finally let himself feel for another woman, and now that he had... He loved Marian, but he was in love with Regina. He felt like he had been from their adventure into the castle. How could he pretend nothing happened between them? It made him feel sick to try and forget. He didn't want to, but he didn't know how to make it work.

"Here." Regina offered her tea to Henry after he chugged his down. "I'll get another. Ruby?"

"So," Emma rested her arms on the table, "how was your night? I meant to come by this morning, but I was sidetracked with my lesson."

"Lesson?" Regina arched a brow.

"I've been training my magic," Emma admitted. "I really appreciate the help you've given me."

"If you need more, I'm going to start charging."

Emma was stunned by that. Regina was being nice. What the hell was happening? Was she dreaming? Or was keeping up appearance that important to her? No. She was doing this for Henry's sake. Emma respected that.

"Here you are." Ruby set the four plates down one at a time in front of them then left to tend to the customers that just walked in.

"If it's not too much trouble, could I get my old job back?" Emma bit into a fry.

"No." Regina crossed her legs. "It's technically David's job. You can be his deputy, however."

Emma nodded.

The dinner was civil, they all got along, though Henry noticed Robin's occasional glances, and Regina felt them, but she tried to ignore them, peeking once or twice. After dinner, Henry suggested he pack his clothes, so Regina walked upstairs with them to get Henry's bag, and she waited outside the room for him.

Leaning against the wall, she was lost in thought. She knew why Henry was doing this, but she didn't mind. He could stay with her any time he wanted, but she would rather he didn't feel sorry for her or treat her like she's broken. She would handle this in time.

Roland walked over to Regina and smiled up at her, Regina smiled back before Roland headed for the room his father was paying for. Marian stopped a few feet away from the Evil Queen, having seen her smile to Roland, and she approached her.

Regina met her eyes, and Marian said, "I don't care what anyone says: you are the Evil Queen, and you always will be."

Regina smirked. "You seem a little confused, dear."

Marian stared at her.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" Her forehead creased as she frowned at the woman's expression.

"You haven't ripped my heart out or attempted to char me."

"Temping, but I have better things to do."

"Perhaps it's his heart you have," Marian whispered.

"Who—Robin's?" She laughed at the insinuation.

"Ever since I arrived, he's been...different. He's changed, and I've seen the way he's looks at you." Her eyes filled gradually with tears. "You've his heart, and you've bewitched him."

Regina frowned, but felt pleasure in knowing that he felt it too. "Marian—" Regina reached out to try and comfort her, but Marian went nuts.

"You bewitched him!" she screamed, hitting Regina with ball fists. "You destroyed everything that Snow White valued and now you're destroying her loyal subjects' loved ones! You vile, evil _witch!"_

Emma and Henry hurried into the hall, Robin ran up the stairs at his wife screaming, and Emma pushed her way in front of Regina. Henry stood protectively in front of Regina but behind Emma.

"Marian!" Robin grabbed her by the waist and pulled her away gently, but she began to sob and pushed away from him. She ran down the hall to get her son. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what's overcome her."

"Are you all right?" Henry asked his mom.

"What the hell happened?" Emma was beyond surprised that Marian had approached, let alone hit, Regina.

"I'm fine." Regina brought her hand to her lip, surprised to find blood there. "Marian, however, is far from stable." She rubbed her fingers together.

"She just emotional," Emma suggested. "She's been through a lot. She thought she would never be with her husband and son again, but she is. Finding them again...and seeing you and how much you've changed... It's hard to grasp."

"It's different, but it's not that hard to adjust," Robin said softly.

Regina glanced at him then Emma. "This is your fault."

"My fault?" Emma turned to face her.

"You never take responsibility for your decisions, do you?" Regina crossed her arms. "I already know you never take the time to think your decisions through, but come on, Ms. Swan, surely even you can see the fault is yours."

"How? All I did was save her life." Emma met her eyes bitterly. "How was that wrong?"

"You brought her here," Regina stated, "when she was to die there. She doesn't belong here. Now."

Emma frowned. She hadn't thought about that. She just didn't want a woman to lose her life, because of her loyalty to the rightful queen.

"Whatever happens is on you." Regina turned to her son. "Let's get your bag ready."

Emma gave Henry a small smile before he and Regina went into her room, and she sighed. Damn it. She faced Robin Hood. "How long has Marian been acting different?"

"Almost since her return. Why do you ask?"

"Because if something _is_ wrong with Marian, it's up to me to fix it. Regina's right. This is my doing, so it's my responsibility."

"She's my wife." How strange those words were in his throat after all this time. "She's my responsibility.

"It's my job."

"Then keep me updated, and if you need help, don't hesitate to ask."

She gave a nod and went to find Belle. Emma couldn't make Marian see Dr. Whale, so she would have to see if Belle had some way around it. And if Belle didn't, Rumpelstiltskin surely did, and they were hardly separated these days, so they were probably both at the shop.

_**~e~**_

The shop was closed. Emma was tempted to just break in, but she didn't know what book she needed and she didn't want to waste time flipping page after page when she could just ask Belle. Belle probably had those books memorized anyway. She would have to find her. The sooner she figured out what happened to Marian the better. If she was ballsy enough to hit Regina after one day, Emma didn't want to see how ballsy she would get in day two or three.

_**~r~mm~**_

Regina and Henry padded up the stairs to Mary Margaret's apartment the next day. David and Emma were looking for Belle and Rumpelstiltskin, because they weren't at their house or the shop, and Snow needed some things from the store. She didn't want to bother Emma and David with them, because what they were doing was important.

Regina knocked on the door and Mary Margaret opened the door, smiling when Regina held out a bag. Regina stepped inside, and Henry closed the door behind him. Regina could hear Neal crying from downstairs, and she wondered what the hell Snow was doing about it. Nothing, apparently.

"Thank you so much for getting these." She was rocking Neal in her arms gently, trying to sooth him, but he just kept crying. "We bought so much for him, but there were things we forgot."

"Uh-huh." Regina began to unload the bag onto the counter, Henry sat on the couch and continued to play some game on his phone. "So, how does it feel?"

"Feel?" Snow asked.

"To be a mom. Is it everything you were hoping for?" Regina crumpled the empty bag.

"And so much more."

"Good." She put the cold items in the fridge. "Where do I put these?" She gestured to the unpacked bagged items on the counter.

"Upstairs, please."

Regina carried them upstairs, trying not to laugh at how Snow was with Neal. It was so strange. She soothed Henry so easily. How can she not soothe her own child? Perhaps having him and raising him is more than she thought it would be. She smirked to herself as she unloaded the bag and headed back downstairs, seeing Henry no longer on his phone.

"Will that be all?" Regina asked.

"Yes, thank you."

"C'mon, Henry. It's just about time for lunch."

Lunch didn't go as planned, Henry got a really bad headache, so they went home. He didn't have a temperature, but Regina was still concerned. She had a feeling she knew what caused it, but she wasn't entirely sure. She needed to looked more into it, but she didn't want to leave Henry by himself. She decided to hold off for the night and if it progressed, she would find Gold and kill him. Or see if there were any drawbacks to that diamond. It could be possible. With Gold, there's always some price. Regina would pay it, not Henry.

In the morning, Henry felt and looked somewhat better, but Regina didn't want to tempt it. She looked into the drawbacks of the diamond and found a few alarming ones, but luckily, she could deal with them. She wouldn't worry herself over it, but she was worrying over the fact that Ms. Swan had yet to call and ask how Henry was. Where the hell was she? Surely they have service in that bubble of Charming stupidity.

_**~e~d~**_

Emma and David walked through the woods to see if there were any cabins they may not know about where Rumple and Belle might be. Emma kept sneezing."Is this the part where you tell me someone's talking about me?" Emma asked her father after sneezing for the sixth time.

"No, this is the part where I see if you have a fever." He removed his glove and tried to touch her forehead, but she moved back.

"I'm okay. It's probably Regina."

"Speaking of Regina, have you two spoken?" Emma said nothing, and he looked at her. "You haven't?"

"We sort of spoke."

"Sort of meaning what?"

"She blamed me and left with Henry."

"Emma."

"What? I can't talk to someone who doesn't want to listen and who walks surprisingly fast in six-inch heels." She tugged her hat down and sighed.

"You and she need to talk about what happened. You brought back—and saved—Robin's wife when he and Regina were in a...serious relationship."

"Shouldn't they talk then? I don't see why I have to go out of my way to try and explain my actions. I saved someone's life. That is a good in my book."

"That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean?" She stopped trudging and looked at him.

"Regina has never taken...this well as you very well know. I just want to make sure you both are able to eventually get past this. For Henry."

"She's being civil for Henry's sake," Emma informed him.

"But is she coping?"

"You tell me. You've known her longer, and you spoke with her."

"No, she insulted me." He scanned the area and started walking.

"She does the same to me." She fell into step beside him. "Only worse since she's always hated me."

"She doesn't hate you."

"Really, Dad? You're going to say _that?_ She's been threatening me since before I was zygote. I'm still waiting for her to walk up on me and Hook and say, "_I shall destroy your happiness, if it is the last thing I do_" then storm out."

David chuckled, and Emma let out a laugh, shaking her head. Emma sniffed and crossed her arms, looking over at him, very serious now. "What if something is wrong with Marian? What if I brought back more than someone's...wife?"

"Then we'll...deal with accordingly."

"Deal? How do we deal? We don't even know what the hell is wrong." Emma walked over to him. "You didn't see her in the Enchanted Forest, David. She was terrified of Regina, and in the diner, she was too scared to even approach her alone. Why would she attack Regina? There's magic here, and she knows it, so why?"

David shrugged a shoulder. "Let's go find out." He nodded his head to a cabin with smoke rising out of the chimney, and they headed toward it.

"I hope they have coffee," Emma commented, snuffling.

"I hope they have tissues," David murmured as Emma sneezed once more. "Bless you."

Damn, Regina was going to kill her. Death by over-sneezing. Of all the ways. "A-choa!" She groaned and sniffled. She hoped they had tissues as well.

Belle and Rumple were indeed inside the cabin that had to have been made by magic or had been hidden for quite some time, because it was not here before. Belle offered them tea to warm them since they didn't have any coco or coffee prepared and she and Rumple were about to have tea anyway. Rumple didn't want them there long enough for coffee to be made.

"What can I do for you, Ms. Swan?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"It's actually Belle I need to speak to."

"Oh?"

Belle gave Emma her full attention. "What can I help you with?"

"I'm not going to ask you to do research while you're...out here." Emma cleared her throat and set her tea down. "I was wondering if there was anything you've read that mentions negative effects of...say, bringing someone who was meant to die in the past into the future?"

"Marian?"

She nodded.

"Why do you ask such an odd question?" Rumple inquired.

"She's been acting peculiarly," Emma waved it a way.

"Peculiarly how?" he pressed.

"Well, I don't know all of the details, but she attacked Regina."

Rumpelstiltskin laughed out loud, Belle sent him slight glare, and Emma's brows furrowed at his response. He leaned toward her. "And you want us to help you stop this Marian?"

"Attacked her?" Belle wondered. "How so?"

"Just started hitting her. She kept screaming "You've bewitched him" and just hit Regina with her fists. I don't know if Regina set her off or what, but from what I saw with the Marian I spent time with, she was too...docile to ever do that." Emma shook her head. "It was like she snapped."

"I see." Belle thought of books she had read and books in the shop that might assist them.

"You may not want it, but I have some advise," Rumple suggested.

"And that is?" David asked.

"Perhaps you let Marian be, see just how far she's willing to go to break Regina's "spell" on Robin, and then we'll know exactly what we're dealing with."

"How so?"

"Really, how so?" Emma didn't see the point. "If she takes a shotgun to Regina, we can't exactly "deal with that", Gold."

"If Marian is willing to kill Regina," he said softly, darkly, "then I know exactly what ails her. If she isn't, it could be a number of things. Regina's perfectly capable of protecting herself."

Belle crossed her legs to use her knee as a table as she wrote down the names of the books Regina most likely had in her possession that would be useful. "Was that all you needed?"

"Yeah." Emma rose. "Thanks for the tea."

"If you need anything more, let me know." She held out the slip of paper.

Emma took it, and she and David left. Emma let him go home to check on Mom and the baby. Emma went to Regina's vault, and hopefully she wouldn't be incinerated walking through the front door. If she were charred to ash, she would make Regina's tree bloom lovely.

_**~r~**_

Regina enrolled Henry back into school, filling out all of the ridiculous forms and signing as his legal guardian. As she filled out the forms, she was deciding whether or not to add Emma, but in the end, she did. She was his legal guardian since magic couldn't change the adoption, but Ms. Swan was also his mother. She had to respect that, even if she wasn't pleased with her at the moment.

It was difficult to pretend to be happy whenever she ran into him and his brood. She always avoided any contact. It was better that way, for his fragile beloved and Roland. Regina didn't want to rip the boy from his mother by any hasty decision she or Robin may have made. Regina cared deeply for the boy. He was very kind, and he deserved to get to know his mother. No matter what she felt or how hard it got, she had to think of Roland's best interest. She couldn't bare to see his face like Owen's.

Regina tapped the end of her pen on the table, clicking it closed and she gathered the papers. She needed to take them to the school. She needed fresh air too.

_**~rn~**_

The following morning, Regina went to work immediately, calling Emma so she could spend some time with Henry in her absence. Regina went to her vault then her office. She had actual work to do, so she might as well look it over and see what could be put on hold. She had to do something to keep her mind from wandering. It often lead to unhealthy places.

"Regina?" It was Snow.

She looked up from the pile of papers on her desk, seeing she'd been here for well over two hours, and she cursed under her breath. She didn't realize how much work she had. She must've gotten caught up in it. Damn, she meant to be home before now.

"What now?" It fell out before she could filter it.

"I need a favor." She was carrying Neal.

Regina narrowed her eyes. "Why did you bring the baby?" Snow wore a hopeful expression. "No. No, absolutely not!"

"Oh, please, just for an hour or two."

"When did I sign on for this?" She met Snow's eyes. "I don't wear these suits for my figure; I have an actual job to do here." Regina could see she truly was Snow's last hope. Damn it all. "What do you need a babysitter for anyway?"

"Tonight is our—mine and David's—" Regina nodded impatiently "—wedding anniversary, and I would really appreciate it if you would watch him for an hour or two."

"Mary Margaret, this is why you had a second child, so she can watch the younger."

"Emma's busy."

"With who?" Regina saw Snow's hesitancy. "So, it's Captain Useless."

"And you have more experience with a baby," Snow chimed in, trying to get by the awkward moment. "You were great with Henry."

"Sometimes you're like a habit I'd very much like to kick," Regina told her, "with both feet."

Snow smiled. "So, you'll do it?"

"If only to get you out of my office." Regina gestured to the table. "Set him there."

"You'll watch him closely, right?" Snow set his car seat down gently on the table. "I've left some instructions in his bag and call if you need anything."

"Yes, yes." Regina looked over the paperwork. "He's in good hands."

Mary Margaret hoped she was making the right decision as she turned and left to prepare the house for tonight, and Regina waited until the doors closed before dropping the paper she held and walking over to Neal. She unclasped the belt and picked him up gently, he looked just like his father, and she held him close. He began to fuss a little at her waking him up.

"Shh, shh," she soothed him. "It's okay." She smiled warmly as two deep sapphire orbs looked up at her. "Hmm, care to help me with faxes? Huh? Do you?"

_**~s~h~**_

"Do you think it'll work?" Henry asked his grandmother as they left the mayor's office. "Leaving him with her?"

"Oh, you've never seen Regina with a baby." Mary Margaret smiled at him. "She may be cynical and bitter at times, but she has a soft spot for babies. They soften her."

"You didn't answer my question."

She sighed. "I don't know if it'll make her feel better, but it's a start. Holding an infant, feeling its love and seeing its warm and purity can get through any dark heart."

"Do you think it's still dark?" Henry stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Regina did a lot of damage in the Enchanted Forest," she admitted, "but I believe it's never too late for anyone."

Henry smiled and walked her home so she could do whatever she needed to get done. He went to Granny's to check on his mom. The last he heard Hook brought her soup for her cold, but that was hours ago, and he hadn't bothered to text while Killian was still in their room. He was glad his mom was happy and had opened herself up, but it seemed to be either/or with his moms, and he hated that. If Emma was happy, Regina was miserable and vice versa, though Regina spent a lot more time making Emma miserable. Now that he was older, he had to admit: Regina was good. In an evil way, but the way Regina timed some of the things she did... His mom truly was fearsome, but hopefully soon that side would only apply when _evil_ was happening.

Henry walked into Granny's, seeing Roland and Marian sitting in a booth. Roland was eating a sundae, and that wasn't surprising. That kid loved sweets—all little kids do. What bothered him was his mother. Marian looked as if she hadn't slept since her return. Red rimmed were her empty eyes, and her skin was so pale. She looked like really bad. If he knew her at all, he would tell her to rest, but he didn't. And from the looks of it, she wasn't tuned into the world right now. Perhaps she was sleeping with her eyes open?

Henry passed their table, but he didn't see the line of gray-white spark of energy quickly flash across Marian's empty eyes.

He went to Emma's room and knocked since she had the only key. He waited only a second before Killian opened the door and let him inside. He saw his mom passed out on the bed. She looked better. She wasn't as pale, her nose was still red, and she looked a little sweaty. It was better than the last time he saw her. She looked ready for the morgue.

"Has she been sleeping long?" Henry kept his voice down as not to wake her. This was the first time she'd slept in days. She'd been going out into the cold too often and not getting any sleep. She was running herself ragged trying to figure out what _might_ be wrong with Marian.

"She passed out a while ago, mate." He gestured to bottles by her bed. "Doc gave her enough pills to kill a damn horse."

"Yeah." Henry picked up the book draped over her stomach and sat down on the couch. "Has she made any progress?"

"You shouldn't get involved. It's a...sensitive matter."

"Uh-huh." He flipped through it.

Hook shook his head.

"If we can figure this out, Mom will stop stressing out about it and get better." Henry got comfortable. "Besides, what else do you have to do?"

Hook took a book off the bed and sat in the chair, and together they began to try and find what might be wrong with Marian. There hadn't been anymore incidents, but only because Regina hadn't had time to leave her office. She was drowning in work, but she would get it done, and hopefully, they would be eating at home tonight. He didn't want anymore of Granny's burgers. He actually wanted something leafy and green. He just hoped Marian and Regina didn't run into each other. His mom hadn't slept that much either, and they would kill each other.

_**~r~n~**_

Regina ran her hands over her eyes as Neal's cries echoed the empty halls. She was having flashbacks and not the good kind. She was so exhausted, and she needed to fax or maybe e-mail...something. It was one of these papers. She would know which one after a shower and cup of coffee. She needed to go home, but Snow was due any minute to pick up the screaming product of true love.

"Okay, Neal." She stood up and went over to him. "What? I've fed you, changed you, burped you—what else do you need? Hmm?" She noticed the time and grabbed his blanket from the bag Mary Margaret left. She splayed it on the floor, leaving a lump for him, and she set him gently on the floor. She emptied the contents of her bag and spun the various objects—cell phone, lip stick, datebook, keys, etc—around and around like a portable mobile to soothe him.

Slowly his cries lessened, and he began to watch them. Regina smiled happily at the look on his little chubby face. He was so precious, even more so when he wasn't screaming. She scratched his little tummy, and he seemed to smile.

Mary Margaret walked in at that moment and smiled, watching, and Regina felt someone watching them, and she could practically _see_ Mary Margaret's intense gaze. Regina looked up and let her stuff drop back in her bag. "Oh, don't let me stop you."

"It's not you." She picked Neal up and held him close. "I'm exhausted, and frankly, I don't remember signing up for nearly six hours."

"I'm sorry. There were complications."

"I can tell you're lying, Mary Margaret, your mouth is moving."

"You need rest, Regina."

"That I do."

Snow gathered Neal's belongings and packed them back inside his bag, Regina decided to delay her work to sleep long enough to function, and they exited the building together. Regina carried Neal out, and as Snow adjusted the car seat, Regina said goodbye. She didn't notice Robin across the street with Little John watching her. She was positively glowing as she held that baby, and Robin made up his mind. He would talk to her tomorrow. She may be more incline to talk to him in the afternoon. If he knew her—and he'd been watching her enough to know her schedule—she would be in the office until one when she left for lunch. He would try then.


	11. Color Sample

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

Regina stopped by Granny's to see how Emma was doing and to get breakfast. To Regina's surprise, Emma was out and about today, so she ate and ordered a cup of coffee to-go. She needed to do a few more dozen stacks of paperwork and prepare invitations for the first Christmas party she's ever had. She wasn't sure how she felt about having all of the Charmings over and Hook and...Emma, but she wasn't going to selfishly tear Henry in two. She wanted to show him that, and Christmas was coming in a couple weeks, so it would be a nice gesture.

She worked most of the day, dealing with a few unpleasant things and trying to figure out who all to invite to the party. She had Henry write a list, but he only added the family: Emma, Snow, David, Neal, Hook, Belle and Rumpelstiltskin. She'd noticed he'd written down Robin, but erased it. She could see it very faintly on the paper. She wasn't entirely sure she didn't want Robin there. She was conflicted.

Robin had asked her to lunch via note attached to her headboard with an arrow. She wasn't sure if she wanted to attend or not. She needed to speak with him, and he clearly needed to speak with her, but it would be messy and someone was bound to get hurt. She didn't want to make him choose and tear a family apart, but...she couldn't be _that_ hero. She wanted him in her life, and not as a friend. She refused the idea of being with a married man, so that left only one choice if they were to be together.

Shaking her head, she put the list away and returned to her work. She needed to get a lot done before lunch. She had only done a portion of the work the other night, because she was so focused on baby Neal. Hopefully, Mary Margaret wouldn't use her as an impromptu babysitter again. She wouldn't mind if Mary Margaret called ahead of time and let her know. She was quite fond of the boy. He was so sweet. She'd forgotten how nice it was to have a baby around.

She concentrated on her work, trying not to get sidetracked by anything, and she was so focused, she almost didn't hear the sound of feet. Someone was walking down the hall toward her office. She lifted her eyes as the door open and Henry walked in. She was happy to see him, but he was supposed to be with Mary Margaret and the baby. He'd asked to go and see them this morning.

"Henry, what brings you here?" She smiled at him.

"I thought we could go to lunch." He stopped by her desk.

"Lunch?" Regina glanced at her watch, and it was going on two. She was so absorbed in her work, she must've forgotten to check the time. "I would love to have lunch." She stood up.

"Great." He smiled.

She put her coat, and they walked down the hall together, and Henry mentioned someone coming with them. She saw Emma outside, and she was tempted to come up with an excuse to get out of this lunch, but she decided Henry asking her to lunch was worth Emma being there.

"We have something to show you." He stopped by the car.

"We?" Regina's brows rose. "All right. I'm curious."

Regina and Henry took the backseats since Emma had a box in the passenger seat, Regina had a feeling she knew what this was about, but she kept it to herself. Henry asked her about her morning, and she tried not to bore him with the details.

"Okay, kid, right or left?" Emma asked at a stop sign.

"Left." Henry peered out the window, and Emma turned.

"Just where are we going?" Regina looked from Emma to Henry.

"We're almost there," was all he said.

They drove for about ten more minutes then stopped in the middle of nowhere. Regina knew this place, though. About twenty minutes up the road was her house. Why had they brought her here? What did they have to show her?

"I got it." Emma picked up the box from the passenger seat and closed the door. "It's this way."

Regina turned as Emma started down a stone path, Henry was waiting for her, and Regina followed. She saw a small house in the distance, and she realized it was where Emma and Henry were going to be staying from now on. She didn't have a problem with it. It was close to her house and Emma's parents' apartment. It looked cozy enough, trees for shade, bushes that would bloom roses in the spring and plenty of space that held a _For Sale_ sign with a **Sold** sticker across it.

They entered the house, Henry and Emma set their coats down across the rail on the stairs, and Regina did the same. They gave Regina the grand tour. The house looked so big, but that was probably because the house was completely empty. The first floor had a well-sized kitchen, the living room had wooden floors and a bay window looking into the backyard, and there was an office that Emma was going to use.

Emma let Henry show Regina the second floor by himself while she went to the kitchen and emptied the box. The second floor held three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and a closet. Henry's bedroom was the first room on the left, and he had his own bathroom, room for a desk to do homework on and plenty of windows for light and fresh air to get in.

"First item to be added is a desk," Regina teased, "for doing algebra and calculus and trigonometry."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I can see it now."

"Me too. You'll ignore it to play video games and then cram the last minute."

"Probably, but I've gotten pretty good at it."

She laughed. "I'll bet."

Henry showed her Emma's room. It was down the hall to the right, and there would be plenty of room for that shipless pirate what with the walk-in closet and private bathroom that had a window with a stained glass swan.

"Then there's the guest bedroom." Henry sat down in the window seat. "Mom said you could come over for dinner once everything is all set up."

Regina turned to face him. "That'd be nice."

"You mean it?"

"I do."

He nodded. "I was worried."

"About what?" She sat beside him.

"How you would react," he said slowly and very softly, "after Emma brought back Marian."

"React?" She studied his eyes. "Don't you mean, change?"

"I just didn't want you to go back to being the Evil Queen," he admitted. "I believe in you, and I love you, but...before...you'd let your emotions take over, and you'd changed, and I was worried it might happen again."

"Yes, I did let my emotions get the better of me before, but that's not who I am anymore," she assured him. "This change is permanent. I promise you."

He smiled. "I knew that, for the most part."

"I thought we were having lunch. I'm hungry, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Let's go eat."

They went downstairs, Emma had the island in the kitchen covered with containers of food from Granny's, three drinks already filled and three wooden stools. Regina had a feeling they were going to eat together after this drive. She didn't mind. She and Emma were...something once, and they could try and friends. If it didn't work this time, she honestly wouldn't be surprised. Alphas tended to butt heads.

They ate a lunch of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Emma had a pile of paint choices, and she and Henry were trying to decided what to paint each room. Regina gave them some suggestions when they couldn't decide on a color, and she even took Henry's side on what to paint the living room.

"Why? Why not?" Emma asked, holding up the sample.

"Because if I'm going to be coming over, I'm not looking at—" Regina took the sample and found the color she wanted, "—'Loose Leaf'."

"Oh, but 'Midwinter Sky' is better?"

"Yes," Regina and Henry said in unison.

"I guess I like what it says about the color," Emma admitted, "Comfort, nature, growth."

Henry read, "Greens cozy up a space and refreshes the spirit. I don't think our spirits need refreshed, Mom."

"How in the hell does green cozy up a space?" Regina muttered.

"Oh, but we need blues that revive and refresh, to assure strength and stability and have a calming effect? Actually, that does sound better."

"Look, since we choose the color, we'll paint it," Regina offered.

"Good. Now I still have to figure out what to paint my room."

"How about 'Enchanted Forest'?" Henry teased. "It's an actual color."

"Cute." Emma took the sample and hit him in the head lightly with it. "No." She flipped through the many choices and sighed, setting them down and taking a drink of water. She looked at Regina. "Could I ask you for a favor?"

"That depends on the favor."

"Our belongings will be here any day now, and I could use a hand moving boxes. Dad and Killian are coming to help, but—"

"They're only three hands." Regina nodded. "Let me know when."

Henry smiled happily behind a bit of chicken.

When they finished eating, Emma put all of the empty containers in the box, and they went back to Regina's office. Henry stayed with Regina since they were going home together, and Emma had to some errands to run.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Regina asked as they walked toward her office. "I think the vending machine's fixed."

"Sure. I'll get it."

She gave him the money and continued walking, glancing back once to make sure he still knew the way—he did. She opened the door and stepped into her office, finding Robin at her desk. Momentarily, she was confused then she remembered their plans. He didn't look angry, so that was a good sign. He also hadn't seen her yet, he was fixing one of his arrows, it seemed.

"Robin." She approached him, stopping about two feet away.

He slipped the arrow back into his quiver. "It's good to see you."

She smiled. "It's good to see you too. You look well."

"And you're as beautiful as ever." She looked away, and he stepped closer. "My apologies. It...slipped out."

She didn't say anything, just offered a small smile.

"I see you forgot our plans."

"Pla—Oh, damn. I'm sorry. I was so focused on my work," she explained, "and then Henry asked me out to lunch. I'm sorry. It slipped my mind."

"No, that's all right. Roland and I decided to stay in today anyway." He closed the space between them. "Are you free now?"

"Not quite."

"Henry?" She nodded. "Well, perhaps tomorrow you will be free."

"I just may be."

"I look forward to your call. If none comes...well, you got my first message." He smiled at her, looking over her beautiful face.

"Yes, I did." She laughed a little at her reaction to the arrow in her headboard that morning.

"All I could—Oh." Henry stopped in the doorway. "I can come back. Maybe knock."

Robin shook his head. "No need. I should be going." He looked at Regina. "Tomorrow?"

She nodded.

"Goodbye, Henry." He gave him a smile as he left.

Regina sighed and Henry walked over to her. He noticed how tense she was, so he held out a can to her. "Trusty machine. Gave me Pepsi when I asked for Coke."

She smiled and took the drink. "Thanks." She set it on her desk. "I should be done soon."

He nodded, opening his drink and sitting down at a table. He took his phone out and began to play a game while she finished up. She organized her desk, trying to find a conformation e-mail she'd gotten, and she found a child's drawing. It was by Roland, and it was of her, Robin, Henry and himself. He'd written to Regina and Henry in the right-hand corner. How thoughtful.

She set the picture down and took her phone out of her pocket, setting a reminder for her lunch with Robin. There, now unless she forgot her phone—unlikely—it was set. Tomorrow, they would talk.

_**~r~r~**_

Regina finished her work from home, Henry was with Emma trying to decide on paint colors, and Regina was struggling with choices of her own. She wasn't sure—for the first time in her life—what the hell to wear. She had this extensive wardrobe of beautiful, fanciful clothes and she didn't have any clue what to wear. And even if she did, she wasn't sure if it was appropriate or not. They were...something, but not together, and she didn't want to seem overdressed or as if she were trying to sway him with her body. She needed a second opinion.

She grabbed her cell phone and called the only person who wasn't busy and would probably give her an honest opinion.

Half an hour later, she arrived, and Regina tried not to be annoyed, because she had a lot to do before leaving. Regina still had two hours before her lunch anyway, so she wasn't really worried. She was just...panicking. She wasn't sure how this would go or if she could bite her tongue if needed. She never could.

She set her bag down on the floor and set the carrier on the table. "Okay, what did you need my help with?" Mary Margaret removed her coat.

"Not help," Regina corrected. "Opinion. I just need your opinion."

"All right. On what?"

"An outfit."

"Oh?" Her brows rose. "We're doing this? Isn't this a friendship thing?" She was poorly hiding a smile.

Regina met her eyes. "Yes, I...hear it can be taken as a friend...ship thing."

Snow smiled happily. "So, who are you seeing? Is this a business meeting?"

"If this were a business meeting, I would've called myself." Regina chewed her bottom lip.

"You're nervous." Mary Margaret stepped closer. "Who is this person?"

"No one of importance. I just...want a second opinion." She sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Let me guess: Robin Hood?"

"Do you want a prize?" Regina crossed her legs. "I'm being ridiculous."

"No." Snow sat beside her. "You're not. I get it."

"No...you don't." She looked at Mary Margaret. "You have David. You've always had him, and it always made sense. Nothing in my...love life has made sense. I was a child when I was with Daniel, and no one else was all that important, but with him...it's like something finally is right."

Snow smiled softly.

"Then Emma came in and destroyed that," she added.

She met Regina's eyes. "Regina, believe me, you make one hell of a first impression."

"So, leather pants then?" Regina mused.

She laughed. "I'm sure we can find something." She hopped up and looked through the closet. "I see who has all the dresses to go with my shoes."

Regina stood up and went over to Neal. "Well, I had to look my best, didn't I?" She glanced over her shoulder. "You look better."

"Hmm?" Snow poked her head out of Regina's deep ass closet. "I've gotten some rest." Regina felt Neal's hands wrap around her finger, and she looked at him. "Regina, I think I may have an outfit."

"You did?" She turned and Snow stepped out of the closet with a black dress with mesh on the top. "You picked that?" Regina looked it over.

"Try it on, at least."

She took the dress and stepped into her bathroom. She tried the dress on, leaving her robe on the bathroom counter. She looked over herself. It fit her well, and it was actually comfortable. She let Mary Margaret see it, and she approved. Regina felt like a child.

"I found these in your closet as well." She sat in the middle of Regina's bed with three dresses laying across the end of the bed. They were different color, lengths and styles. "They may be more appropriate."

"What is this? Dress up?" Regina put her hands on her hips.

"Only if you let me do your hair," she retorted teasingly.

Regina smirked. "Because your hair looks fantastic."

"Do you want my honest opinion or baby puke on all of your clothes?"

"Unfortunately, neither you or I can pull off the beehive look."

She glared, and Regina laughed at her expression. Regina checked her watch while Mary Margaret put the dresses she had brought out back in the closet, and she sighed. She needed to think about what to say to him. She had no idea how she wanted this to go. She wanted to be with him, she knew that, but she didn't want to split up a family. She wouldn't be that woman.

What did she even want to say? What did she want? A deep, meaningful relationship? Marriage and bouncing babies? She wasn't sure. She hadn't thought about it. Part of her kept waiting for the bottom to fall out and it did when she wasn't expecting it. At least she didn't have false hope of having a future with him like with Daniel. She made so many plans for them, had so many ideas on what they could do once they ran away from the castle. She wanted it to be different with Robin, and it was. Then...

Regina sat down. Emma brought Marian back from the Enchanted Forest. Was this a pattern woven into her life? She would be with someone and then someone would take them away. It were as if she were playing with someone else's toys. She didn't want to always live with someone holding the floor and just waiting to jerk it out from under her anymore. She did a lot of life-changing, mortifying things in the Enchanted Forest. Had she not atoned? Would the rest of her days be spent trying to earn karmic redemption? And if so, would her life only go well after she'd achieved that redemption?

Perhaps it would be best to not go tonight and end all association with Robin Hood. It would be hard on Roland if they were to be together, and he already has to adjust to having his mother back. She didn't want him to grow up angry, not like her, and the way Robin talked about Marian that night... Damn it.

"They were hard to reach, but they were worth it. These are going to look so... Regina?" Snow lowered the box of shoes. "Regina, what is it?"

"What is what? I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because your eyes are red." She sat beside her. "What are you thinking about?"

Regina was going to lie, but lying was so tiresome. She wanted someone to confide in who wasn't assuming the worst in her. Mary Margaret was that person, even with their history, she'd always helped Regina. They had a connection—maybe from their mothers' history—and although it wasn't always channeling friendly affection, it was strong.

"You can tell me," Mary Margaret assured her.

"I was thinking...perhaps I shouldn't go tonight. Or any other night, for that matter."

"What? Regina, why would you think that?"

"Is it not evident?"

She shook her head. "You're not a villain, and you of all people deserve a happy ending."

"I don't need a speech or reassurance."

"Evidently, you do." She looked into Regina's eyes. "Tell me why you're thinking this. The real reason, no lies."

Regina rehashed their night by the fireplace, what Robin said and how he looked. Regina could feel her channeling her husband near the end of the memory, and she braced herself for whatever tacky, fortune cookie saying she had to say. Mary Margaret was smiling at her, and she moved over a bit.

"Listen to yourself," Mary Margaret told her. "He _would've _walked through hell to be with his Marian again."

"Yes, I know. Do you want subtitles?"

"Robin accepted her death." She moved closer to Regina, setting a hand on her arm. "He mourned her and gradually moved on."

"Yes, and now she's back. He didn't have to walk through hell after all." Just her. At least she was used to it.

"Have faith. True love isn't easy, but it must be fought for because once you find it, it can never be replaced."

"I knew this was coming."

"If what Tinker Bell said was true then—"

"Then I am easily fooled," Regina finished.

"Fine. If you want to ignore the pixie dust, Tinker Bell and me...trust this." She pointed to her heart. "Trust what you feel. Your heart has never faltered. And so what if Marian is back? She and whatever Robin had in the past doesn't compare to what you and Robin have right now. That look in his eyes when he watches you...and the look in yours when you ignore him...I know it well."

"Are you stalking me now?" Regina teased.

"Regina, hear me!"

"Well, it's your lucky day, I haven't tuned you out."

Snow bumped her shoulder with Regina, lightly laughing, and Regina smiled. "Finish getting ready. I need to check on Emma." She handed her the shoebox and gathered her belongings and baby.

Regina set a hand over the lid and took a deep breath, and Mary Margaret called to her. "Hmm?" She looked over her shoulder.

"Think about what I said. Screwing this up again may lead to a worse fate than you can imagine."

"Well, in the superlative category, it's nice to know I won: Most Likely To Revert To Form."

"The Evil Queen is gone," she said. "It's Regina's fate I worry about. Lingering in the past clouds the future."

"And lingering in my house increases the chance of me jumping out the window to escape."

"You called me."

"Don't remind me."

"Goodbye, Regina."

Regina heard Mary Margaret leave, and she stood up, setting the box on the nightstand. She looked through her jewelry, choosing earrings and a necklace. Her eyes landed on Daniel's ring, and she picked it up. Her love for Daniel was very like the ring itself: an unbreakable circle going on for eternity, but twisted. She would always love him, and she would never forget him.

She turned around and saw a dress on the bed. She softly smiled and picked it up. Perhaps calling Mary Margaret over wasn't such a bad idea. Regina changed and finished getting ready, her mind made up, and she wasn't going to worry about the consequences. She created Storybrooke for her happy ending, and yet only other people found theirs. Regina was thankful for Zelena. She gave her the opportunity to meet the man with the lion tattoo, and no matter what Zelena had done, Regina could forgive her and be thankful for her wickedness. Being evil or wicked can cause a lot of damage to both people and places, but among the wreckage eventually flowers bloom.

Robin looked up as Regina entered, and she smiled warmly.

_Love again she would_.

_**~e~mm~**_

Emma looked over the station, everything was in order and there was nothing to do. Marian hadn't done anything crazy, so she was tempted to just let it drop. It was probably one-time thing. Robin called and told her Marian was very stable, laughing and playing with Roland. Emma had a feeling he and Marian hadn't been spending time together. The way he spoke, it was like he was distantly watching. She hoped not. He should be with his wife right now. She was lost and confused, and she needed him. Maybe they'd work it out. It didn't really concern her.

"So, Belle dropped off some books." David set a box on the desk.

"Well, if we split the box, we ought to make easy work of it." She picked up one of the book.

"Do you know Belle?" David gestured to two other boxes behind him.

"Coffee?"

"She sent some of that too."

"Really?"

He held out a cup of coffee. "Your mother will be stopping by. She had to go to Regina's."

"Regina's?" Her eyebrows rose and she took a drink of coffee. "Why?"

"She didn't say. Regina just called her over."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"I think so." He began unload the box. "I guess we'll find out when they get here."

Emma nodded. "Isn't this a bit much?" She set her coffee down and picked up a box.

"Well, if we want to know what we're dealing with."

"What _are_ we dealing with?" She placed the box on the table. "Marian's fine. She just had _one_ moment, and that's it. The only feeling I get from her is a little sadness. She's missed a lot, and I think we should leave her be."

"And Regina?"

"What about Regina? It's not as if Marian's going to try and kill her. She just wants her family back."

"If you don't want to work on it, that's fine." He sat down and began flipping through a book.

"Was there a class on guil—?"

"I know you don't think there's something here, and you have the right to that opinion. I just want to make sure. I owe Regina that much."

"Owe her?" Emma leaned on the box.

"If it wasn't for her, Zelena couldn't have been defeated and neither you nor Neal would be here. Snow and Henry wouldn't be here. She saved our entire family."

"Yes, she did." Emma grabbed a book and sat down, seeing David smile. "It's not like we have a case right now anyway." She crossed her legs and laid the book in her lap, gathering up her hair and releasing it a moment later. "If I get bored, can I skip pages?"

"Be my guest."

They heard the front door open and a few seconds later, Mary Margaret and baby Neal walked into the room. Emma closed the book and set her hands on either side of the carrier her little brother was in, smiling at him. David asked her what Regina wanted, but she did was smile and shrug as if it were nothing.

"She called you over and it wasn't important?" David found that hard to believe.

"It _was_ important, just for Regina." She glanced at the boxes. "What's all this?"

"Marian might be evil." Emma leaned back. "'Just for Regina'? What does that mean?"

"Evil?" She frowned. "Why would she be evil? I know she hit Regina, but how does that make her evil?"

"Marian was really freaked out by Regina, still saw her as The Evil Queen, so it's really odd that she would hit Regina." Emma grasped Neal's foot and gently tugged on it. "And you're changing the subject."

"It's not my subject," she replied. "It's Regina's. Do you need a hand at all?"

"We have three boxes, so yes." David let her have his seat and grabbed the other chair. "Henry can help when he gets back. He likes reading."

"I don't know if I want him involved in this," Emma said.

"It's just harmless reading," Mary Margaret stated.

"That's what Evie said and they unleashed an apocalypse-bringing mummy."

"Who?" David and Mary Margaret asked in unison.

"I just don't want Henry helping. I think we can manage."

Just as they stopped talking about him, Henry walked in carrying a box. He'd offered to go get lunch since they were waiting for Belle to deliver some boxes. He sensed something was up, and he looked around at them while they avoided looking directly into his eyes.

"Hey, Henry." Snow smiled.

"Hey, Grandma. You brought Neal?" He set the box down. "Isn't it a little cold?"

"Well, our last nanny tried to suck out his innocent life force, so forgive me if I'm reluctant to find another."

"So, is there anything else I can do?"

David and Mary Margaret exchanged glances, Emma looked up at him and he already knew what she was going to say. If he threw his phone into a lake, would she let him help then? He'd be grounded and have no games to play. She'd probably dig out a Game Boy for him to play since all of their stuff hadn't arrived yet.

"Why don't you have a seat and play some games?" Emma suggested.

"And I can't help because...?"

"Because it's boring."

"So? Playing games is getting boring. I want to help."

"Henry—"

"She's my mom!" he retorted. "And if she's in danger, I want to help. I have a right to help."

"Okay, not boring, but because I said so."

"That's not fair."

"We're done discussing this."

"You call this a discussion? You're just telling me what to do without listening to me!"

"Henry, I am listening. You don't need to help—"

"Emma," Snow softly interrupted. "Just let him help. There have to be dozens of books here, and—"

"And what? We have no idea what's wrong with Marian, or even if there is something wrong!" Emma snapped. "I know Regina's one of us now, and we should help, but there is nothing to help! That's why you can't help, Henry. There's no one to help."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Swan." Hook was in the doorway and there was blood on his palm.


	12. She's Gone

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

Regina removed her coat and set it the booth beside her, moving hair that fell into her face. She was a few minutes early, but in such a small town, there was no traffic and he didn't seem to mind. From the looks of it, he'd been down here quite a while. He looked as nervous as she felt. She was glad her face wasn't an open book.

"I ordered tea." He slid the cup over to her. "It's cold out, and I thought it would warm you."

"Thank you." She took a sip and smiled softly. "Earl gray."

He smiled back. "I happen to be one of those who prefer it."

"Good to know." She crossed her legs. "So, how is Roland?"

"He's well. He's glad to have his mother, and I think it's been good for him to have her around. He misses you terribly, though. He always talks about you."

"Does he?"

"All good things," he assured her.

"And Marian?" Her eyes flickered to his. "How is she?"

"Distant." He was frowning.

"Distant? To you?"

"No, it's...more of a feeling." He wasn't sure how to explain, but he knew no matter how he said it, Regina would just know what meant. "She spends time with us, plays with Roland and laughs with him, but there are times when she'll just be sitting by herself, and it's like she's not in the room at all. She'll fixate on something for hours, and no one can get through to her, not even Dr. Hopper."

"You sent her to Archie?" Regina's eyebrows rose.

"No, he came to see her. He wanted to make sure she was all right."

"And she's not?"

"He didn't say. He's trying to shorten the list. It's apparently quite a long list."

Regina felt horrible. The look in his eyes was so very like hers when she realized something was wrong with Daniel. She knew what he was feeling, but Daniel had died and then brought back to life whereas Marian was saved from dying. Was this realm really that hard for her? Robin adjusted well, and this is his first time here. He had no memories, no home, but he still made it work. How can she not?

"I know the last person you want to discuss is Marian." He pushed his worry to the back of his mind. She was safe and with Dr. Hopper and Roland. "How are you, Regina? Have you been well?"

"I've been...busy. With Zelena and trying to get the lost memories back, my work piled up. I finished the last bit of work this morning luckily."

"Oh?"

"And you?" She studied his eyes. "You must be happy to have your wife back."

"Happy," he muttered softly. "I honestly don't know if that's the word I'd use."

"Why do you say that?"

"We're different people," he slowly explained. "I've changed, but she's still the same. You'd think it'd all fall back into place, but the pieces are missing. She keeps reminding me of things that happened only days ago for her, but years for me, and...I feel like I disappoint her when I can't fully recall it. The memories are fuzzy, but I haven't forgotten them. They kept me company in her...absence."

"My memories kept Daniel close as well," she admitted.

"If you had a second chance with Daniel, do you think it would go well?"

She let out a bitter chuckle. "It didn't."

"Didn't?" His brows raised. "You...brought him back?"

"No. Dr. Whale did, and let's just say it's no easier the second time."

He reached over and took her in his, squeezing it comfortingly. "I'm so sorry you had to endure that."

Regina could feel the people in the diner watching, and she pulled her hand back. "Yes, well I always endure. Excuse me." She stood up and walked over to Granny. "I believed we ordered tea, not prying eyes."

"Regina, just because you're here with a married man whose wife has just returned doesn't mean all eyes on you. After all, it's not the worst thing you've done." Granny smiled. "Can I help you?"

"I'll take the check." She glared.

Granny waved Ruby over, and she asked Ruby to give Regina the check. Ruby flipped through her notepad, tore off the one with only two teas and gave it to Regina. Regina paid for it and gathered her things from the booth. She tucked hair behind her ear and turned to Robin.

"Meeting for lunch at Granny's was a bad idea." She put her coat on.

"Yes, it seems it was."

"Would you like to come over to my house? We can talk privately."

"I would like that very much."

They left the diner and took Regina's car. The ride was awkward, but after this, the air would be clear. They would know what they were to each other, and they wouldn't hopefully wouldn't have anymore awkward moments. For better or worse, after tonight, it would be dealt with.

Regina removed her coat, holding her hand out to him, and he removed his and handed it to her. "Can I get you anything to drink?" She hung the coats up and headed to the kitchen.

"I'm fine."

She tapped her fingernails against the counter, trying to figure out what they could have for lunch here, and she grabbed a container with cheeses and meats and crackers. She would just invite him to dinner. Henry wanted ham tonight, so there would be plenty. It was already in the oven too, and she doubted Henry would mind. She grabbed a bottle of sparkling cider and two glasses on her way out.

Robin took the glasses and bottled from Regina, and they sat down on the couch. Robin poured the drinks, and Regina opened the container, sitting back and Robin handed her a glass. She set that down on the table, resting her intertwined hands on her lap.

"I have to ask, and I hope you don't think I'm being insensitive, but...do you even want to be with Marian?"

"Part of me does," he admitted, "but that part wants Roland to have his mother."

"Do you still love her?"

"I've always loved her."

"Then why are you sitting here with me?"

"Because...I love you, and although having Marian back in my life means so much to me, there's an emptiness inside of me when I look over and you're not there."

"I don't want to be the reason your family is torn apart."

"Regina, you're not the reason I'm not with Marian. Marian and myself are the reason we aren't together. We're so different now. She's still hung up in the Enchanted Forest and being loyal to Snow White, and I'm...different. Being without her has changed me, and I've focused all of my attention on Roland and keeping him safe and fed these past years. What brought Marian and I together...I can't seem to find it."

"I grew up with a manipulative mother and my father was all I had. I worry Roland might—"

"Roland is my worry, and believe me, Regina, he loves you. He loves Marian. He wants both of you in his life. He's told me so himself."

"When Daniel came back, I felt...indescribably happy, but...there was something wrong. When Dr. Whale put one of my hearts inside of him, he wasn't right. He was in such pain, and there was nothing more I could do but heed his request. I had to...kill him."

"Oh, God, Regina." He started to reach out to stroke her cheek comfortingly, but he drew his hand back. "Wait, do you think there's something wrong with Marian?"

"I don't know, but...everything happens because it was meant to, and when someone breaks that law, it never goes very well. I don't want you or Roland to get hurt."

"Marian's fine. She's just...having trouble adjusting."

"She might be just fine, but I can't afford to think like that. If she's a danger to anyone in this town, I'll have to take preventative action. I'm sure it won't come to that, but if you have any doubts, please let me know."

"So you can what? Lock her away?" He was shaking his head.

"Yes."

"I can't believe you invited me over for this." He ran a hand over his face.

"I have to put my son and the people of this town above my feelings. This isn't personal. I just...have to make sure she's not a threat. I refuse to let her hurt anybody," Regina told him. "I'm sorry if you feel backed into a corner."

He sighed. "Did you even want to talk about us?"

"Yes—I do." She swallowed and met his eyes. "I'm not very good at expressing how I feel. I never have been, and that's why I have to know. Do you really love me?"

"Yes, Regina, I love you. I love your kind, resilient heart. I love how protective you are of your loved ones. I love how strong you are. I love that rare, gorgeous smile, and your laugh. That infectious, adorable laugh...I wish I heard it more often."

She smiled, her eyes moistening. "I find myself falling in love with you, and I don't want to stop, but asking you to choose me—"

"Regina," he was smiling, "stop talking." He leaned over and rested his forehead against hers. He set a hand on her cheek, gently caressing it, and it soothed her. There were no need for words anymore, their minds were made up, and somehow they would work out the bumps. They would have each other, a large, varied family, and that's all that mattered.

_**~r~r~h~**_

Robin helped Regina prepare dinner, Regina had messaged Henry and told him dinner would be ready soon, but he never replied. He was probably zoned out or playing games while Emma and David worked on something. She hoped he'd read more. Maybe once school started. He was an avid reader before, and it appeared his time with Ms. Swan made him an avid gamer. She didn't mind as long as he was happy and passing his classes. Well, she didn't mind much.

There was a knock on the door, Regina wiped her hands on a dishtowel and went to open the door. It was Henry. She was surprised to find him knocking. He probably left his key upstairs again. He was getting in habit of it. She needed to buy him a keyring.

"You're right on time. Dinner's almost ready." She closed the door behind him.

"It smells good." He removed his jacket and looked at her. "Are we having company?"

"Yes, Robin came by. I asked him for dinner."

"Roland too?" He hung his jacket up.

"No, Roland's with his mother."

"Did something happening?" He started to smile. "Did you talk?"

"Yes, we did talk." Regina found his smile contagious. "And now we're finishing with dinner. Go wash up, and we'll eat."

"Okay."

Regina set the table while Henry washed up and Robin carried out the salad. Regina called to Henry and asked him to help, but he didn't reply. She and Robin brought out mashed potatoes, green beans, ham and drinks, and when the table was set and everything was properly placed, Henry came down. Regina noticed something strange about his eyes, but she didn't say anything. About that anyway.

"I called you to come and help us," Regina reprimanded.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you."

"Well, next time, I'm going to come up there and drag you down. Have a seat." She stepped back and took the seat beside Henry, crossing her legs and setting the napkin across her lap. She knew Henry thought Robin was "awesome", and she hoped his judgment wasn't based off any movie. She wanted him and Henry to get along, that's partly why she invited him to dinner. If everything went correctly, they may be doing this more often.

They ate in silence for a while, and it wasn't too awkward. Henry hadn't eaten much that day, and Robin and Regina were hungry from skipping lunch. It was nice to have the two most important people in her life at the same table. It was really great when Robin compliment Regina on her cooking, and she thanked him.

"It's one of your best dishes." Henry smiled. "I've missed your cooking. Emma orders a lot of pizza, and I've eaten enough Chinese food to last two lifetimes."

"Do you want salad for dessert?" Regina teased.

"Let's not get hasty."

Robin started a conversation with Henry, to try and get to know him. Regina told him his father died, and he wanted Henry to know, he was here for him. Robin knew Emma was with Killian, and Killian was a good man, but he wanted Henry to know he wasn't just in a relationship his mother and that maybe they could be a family. "So, Henry, your mother's told me quite a lot about you."

"Oh, yeah?" Henry took a bite of ham. "Talk's cheap, but that's okay, so are you."

"Henry!" Regina scolded, stunned by his comment.

"I was joking." He looked at Robin. "I haven't heard a lot about you. Just stories."

"Stories?" Robin asked.

"Like you and your merry men singing. Are your tights manly?"

"Henry," Regina hissed softly. "Robin, I'm so—"

"Did you ever open Marian's chastity belt? I can never remember the ending."

Robin blinked. "I'm at a loss for words."

"Okay, we can change the subject."

"Good," Regina added. "Or you'll be going to bed now and without dessert."

"What did you do in the Enchanted Forest? Besides stealing."

"My men and I often went on many ventures. Once—"

"I would love to here the end of this story, but you're already boring me." Henry rested his head on his palm. "Why don't we talk about something interesting? How did you get Marian killed? Were you too busy trying to steal from somebody to notice your poor wife was being dragged away by Black Knights?"

"Henry, go to your room," Regina ordered. "Now."

"I just want to make sure that won't happen to you, Mom."

"Henry, go." He dropped his napkin onto his plate and went upstairs, and Regina ran a hand through her hair, baffled at her son's behavior. "I'm so sorry, Robin. I don't know what's going on with him."

"It's quite all right. He's probably just worried I'll take you away from him. Or he thinks I'm an asshole."

"I need to talk to him. I'm sorry about this."

"I should go anyway. Roland's likely wondering where I am." He stood up, and she walked him to the door. "Perhaps we can try this again, once Henry's in a better mood."

"I would like that." She smiled. "Roland could join us as well."

He nodded, pulling his coat on, and he opened the door. He paused and turned around, taking her in his arms and just embracing her. He could tell she was surprised by this, but she soon wrapped her arms around him and relaxed. He held her for as long as he could then stepped back, grasping her hand and squeezing it. He held onto her hand, giving her a goodbye smile and leaving.

Regina watched him leave, feeling warmth for only a moment. She closed the door and turned to deal with the person behind her. She narrowed her eyes. "Who the hell are you and why take the shape of my son?"

The imposter smirked, standing the very same way she had when she asked Charming to take Henry. "The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it.

"I have no interest in riddle or mind games."

"I think you might be interested in this, Regina."

"Where's my son?"

"Safe and sound." It walked down the steps and smiled at her. "The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. And you, my dear, need it but don't know it."

Regina lifted her hand, but nothing happened. She blinked and looked at her hand as the imposter laughed.

The house began to shake, the mirror she once threw a wine glass at shattered and fell to the ground, tables fell over and the floor began to come apart. The light from the evening sun was gone, and darkness swallowed her house whole. Creaking echoed through the house, wind knocked books off the shelves, pictures landed broken at Regina's feet, and laughter—evil, maniacal laughter—surrounded her, almost wrapping around her and choking her.

_The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it. The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it. The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it. The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it. The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it._

Regina tried to move, but she couldn't. She wasn't frozen in fear or scared in the slightest bit, but she was unable to move. She couldn't even cover her ears to not hear the repeated riddle or shout or anything. She felt so dizzy, and she was trying to think who or what would be powerful enough to do this to her. She didn't know of any creature in the Enchanted Forest. Perhaps this was another drawback of Ms. Swan's adventure.

Regina fell to her knees as some invisible force tore at her, she felt the darkness in the house grip her ankles and wrists, and she groaned. She could feel the magic in her body being sucked out, and she couldn't breathe. Her mind was blank as pain rolled through her body, warm blood dripped down her arms, and she could feel the flesh being peeled back from her face as blood gushed out.

_Do you have any idea what it's like? Watching. Listening. Dreaming. All the false hope in the world couldn't help me. I had a family. I had a man who loved me with every inch of his heart, very like you did. I had a child. I had a happy, beautiful little baby who never knew me. I was standing by what I believed was right, and all you cared about was revenge. Your petty little revenge that you gave up on. We all suffered and some of us are still suffering because you couldn't let go and then...you do. What was the purpose of this? Of any of it? _

She coughed out blood, gasping to try and get air, but she couldn't. She saw the imposter, still wearing Henry's face, and she collapsed into a pool of her own blood, seeing that smirk and hearing that laugh before the world went dark.

_Henry..._

_**~e~mm~d~**_

"What is that?" Emma pointed to his hand. "Whose is that?"

"I can't say for sure, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's Regina's, love."

"Mom's?" Henry paled.

"I'm sure it's not hers." Mary Margaret stood up. "Let's get some air. You look flush."

"I don't want any air." He stepped away from her. "Where did you find that? How much did you find? Was she there? Is she—?"

"Mom, please take Henry home." Emma crossed her arms.

"No!" Henry turned to her. "You can't make me go home! I refuse to go home and think over every single way she could've... I'm staying."

"Fine. Let's go, Hook."

"Emma, he has a right to know," David defended Henry.

"Why does no one take my side?"

"Because you don't care," Henry answered. "You say you do, but you don't. Mom's not all right, and she may be right about Marian. Don't be such a skeptic!"

Emma sighed softly. "Tell us what happened, Killian."

"I don't know." He lowered his hand. "I was taking a walk, and I saw her front door ajar. I went inside and...well, it wasn't a hopeful picture." He looked at Henry. "I'm sorry, mate."

"Was she—?" Henry's voice broke. He swallowed. "Was she there?"

"Not from what I could see. I came to get you and David, so we could all go take a look. I'd suggest going now before people get suspicious of Mr. Smee standing outside Regina's house."

"Uh, yeah, let's go. Henry, stay with Neal, okay?"

"What?" Henry exclaimed. "That's not—"

"You don't need to see this." David set a hand on his shoulder. "If something's attacking the people in our town, I need you here to protect Neal and Mary Margaret, okay?"

He sighed, but nodded. "Yeah, of course. Let me know when you find my mom."

"You'll be the first to know." He ruffled his hair to try and cheer him up, but Henry's eyes were emptying. He followed Emma and Hook out of station as Mary Margaret wrapped her arms around Henry.

"Regina is strong," she assured him. "She'll be okay."

"I'm not sure even I believe that," he whispered, grasping her hands as tears filled his eyes.

Emma glanced back as the door slowly shut, seeing Henry's eyes, and she swallowed hard. She got in the car and sped to Regina's house, asking Hook what he saw, but Hook insisted she see for herself. Emma felt sick to her stomach. If Regina was dead and she had done nothing... Henry would hate her. She would hate herself. Marian may not have been the one who attacked her, but something did. Someone did, and the only thing powerful enough to stop Regina would've been in Rumpelstiltskin's vault. Only Hook and herself had been in there recently.

When they arrived at Regina's house, Smee left quickly, scared by what he'd seen when he peeked into a window. Emma ran to the door, but stopped short. Her hand wouldn't even close around the knob. She was petrified. She could smell blood, and she was scared to open the door. She didn't want to see Regina's blood and dead body. She wanted Regina alive and safe and there for Henry always. She swallowed hard as David set a hand on her forearm reassuringly, and she opened the door.

It was pitch black inside, and that made no sense. It was sunny, but it was as if a force from another world or a high power had destroyed even that light. Emma pulled out her flashlight, stepping inside, and she slid.

"Careful." David caught her shoulders, and Emma's flashlight clicked on, revealing red painted walls, shattered pictures and glass. "Oh, no."

Emma moved the light to reveal more broken items. "Regina?" Emma ran up the stairs carefully. "Regina!"

David grabbed his flashlight and hurried into the living room. "Regina?" He stared at the room. There were bloody hand prints coating the walls, cotton from the torn up sofa was flung about the room, her paintings were covering the floor, broken vases and picture frames and lamp heads were littering the floor as well. There was no piece of floor visible. The blood and the items covered it entirely. His heart was racing as he went to the next room only to find a similar scene.

Killian remained outside, looking for any clues that Regina had left the house. He saw her garden had been dug up, her favorite childhood apple tree was blackened and wilted. He had a bad feeling about all of this, and he felt as if someone were watching him. He knew there was no point in looking, this person was too powerful to be seen, least of all by him.

Emma ran from room to room, searching every drawer, every closet, under every bed for anything. For Regina's phone, any clues she may have left, and even her body. Her hands just kept getting bloodier and bloodier as she looked through the rooms, her heart was pounding in her ears causing a white-noise effect, and she couldn't find her breathing. It had been misplaced.

Emma had been so hopeful when she didn't find Regina. She kept thinking she'll be in the next room. Her house was so huge and had so many rooms that surely Regina was in one of them. Emma looked through every single room in that beautiful, massive home, but the only thing she found were signs of severe vandalism. There were no indications that Regina had even come home. Everything was so destroyed, and there was no evidence to be found. Just blood. So much blood.

Emma shuddered as tears filled her eyes. "Regina!" she screamed. "Regina!" It just echoed back to her, and there was no response. She felt so empty and full of self-loathing. She had said over and over this Marian thing was nothing, but she didn't look harder to see there was something wrong. If she had just looked through one of those books or put in more effort, this wouldn't have happened. She would be okay. Why was Emma such a skeptic? Why couldn't she open her mind to all of the possibilities this world had to offer? This was her world and yet she was letting it beat her. Because of that...Regina was...

"Regina." Hot tears fell down her cheeks. Couldn't she just cry light magic and make it all better? Couldn't she just wish hard enough and make Regina appear and laugh at her or say something that would reassure them all that it was her? Why couldn't it be that easy? So many things were easy if she just stopped thinking about it, but when she tried to open her mind, it all fell apart. How could she tell Henry about this? Or Robin?

Emma took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. She walked down the stairs and saw her father waiting for her. She shook her head, and he closed his eyes. "What do we do?"

"I don't know. What can we do?"

"How am I going to tell Henry?" Emma whispered. "Or Robin or Mom?"

"The only way we can—together."

"Oh, come now." Hook walked into the house. "You're giving up? Just like that?"

"Have you seen this house?" Emma gestured to the room. "No one survives this. Not even Regina."

"We don't know that it's hers," Hook reminded them. "It could be animal blood or whoever did this. Take some and sent it away to get results."

"What's the point? There's nothing. There's no hope." David dropped his eyes.

"What the hell's wrong with you two?" He grabbed Emma's arm and hauled her out of the house then David. "Emma? David? Can you hear me? Am I talking to Emma and David?"

Emma blinked once, twice, a third time, and she looked down at her hands then at Hook. "You're right. It may not be hers." She went to the car and grabbed some cotton swabs and plastic baggies. She took a sample from each room on the lower level and one from the second. She put them in a plastic bag and tossed it to David, using the hose on the side of the house to wash her hands. She didn't want Henry to see the blood. She didn't want to feel it on in between her fingers anymore.

David took photos of the house while Emma washed away the blood, and Hook labeled the samples so they'd know which was which and what room they had come from. They went back to the station after locking the house with magic so no one could see the horrors inside. Emma didn't want anyone to see that, or to fear about what did that. They had no answers, and she wouldn't create a panic. A panic would distract them from the real goal: finding Regina.

As they walked through the doors, Emma went into Savior mode. "We'll send those in and wait for the results." Emma rubbed her hands, still feeling the cold, sticky blood. "In the meantime, we need to have people canvasing the town and the woods for Regina."

"Emma." Mary Margaret pulled her into the room.

"What? Has something happened?"

"Yes. You need to talk to him." She pointed to Robin and Roland, who was playing on Henry's phone.

"Robin?" Emma walked over to him. "What is it?"

"It's Marian." He looked into Emma's eyes. "She's gone."


	13. Missing

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

"Gone?" Emma repeated. "How is she gone?"

"I don't know. I returned to our room and only Roland was there. I searched the diner and asked everyone if they'd seen her leave. No one's seen her all day, Emma. Not even Archie, who was spending time with her to see if there was anything wrong with her." His eyes were full of concern. "And now I hear something horrible's happened to Regina as well?"

"No, no, no, no." Emma glanced at Henry, who was helping Roland play some game on his phone. She didn't want him to hear this. She had to protect him. From what, she didn't know, and as long as he didn't know, he might be safe. It was worth a try. "Not here."

"She's gone too?" he whispered then stood up. He could imagine what happened. If what he heard was true than Regina may be dead. But he didn't know for sure, and until he had evidence to provide something deathly happened to her, he had no reason to think that. And perhaps Marian just wandered off to think before Dr. Hopper arrived, and Archie stayed behind with Roland. Perhaps... He looked at Emma and paled. "Is that blood?"

Henry's eyes moved to them as Emma lifted her hand and touched her hair, finding blood. "Mom?" Henry's voice was full of panic, because Emma had no cuts in sight. "Is it hers?"

"I...don't know." She turned to him.

"You really don't?" He narrowed his eyes.

She walked over to him. "I will tell you everything—in the morning. I want you to go home with Grandma, get some food and sleep, okay?"

"Do you promise to tell me everything?"

"Everything."

He nodded and hugged her, Mary Margaret didn't want to leave and not know what happened, but she had to do what was best for Henry, and Neal was only going to make it difficult to work. Robin asked if Roland could go with them, and she didn't have a problem with it. She kissed David and gave Emma a hug then she, Neal, Roland and Henry headed home, letting Emma tell Robin everything.

Emma uploaded the photos onto her laptop. "The house was destroyed." She looked up at Robin, not sure he was ready to see these photos. There was no way to prepare someone for these type of photos. "This is jarring, so let me know if you need a break."

"I'm sure I've seen worse."

"You haven't, mate," Hook assured him, flipping through one of Belle's books. "And when a pirate tells you that, you should brace yourself."

"Show me." He sat down beside her. He had to see. He couldn't just sit back and let them handle everything. Marian and Regina were out there all alone in the cold, wounded or worse, and he had to know what happened, even if it was just a part of the story. He had to see. He nodded at Emma, and she opened the file and clicked on a photo to open the photo viewer so Robin could see it. She slowly flipped through them, letting him see each and every picture. She watched his reaction to them, and he was getting paler as they went through them. She was just about to stop, because she didn't want him to throw up, but he noticed something. He told her to stop on one photo.

"What?"

"Can you make it bigger?" She clicked on actual size and it zoomed right in on what he wanted to see. He pointed to something small in the rubble. "That's Marian's."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's a locket she'd gotten from her parents. It's the only thing she had left of them."

"Marian was at Regina's when this happened." Emma glanced at David. "What do you think happened? Regina wouldn't attack Marian. She wouldn't even kill Zelena, so...was there a third person?" What the hell happened?

"Who would do this to them?" David lead against his desk.

Emma walked over to where her father stood. "Who knows both Regina and Marian and clearly hates them?"

"Regina has a list out the door." David pursed his lips. "And Marian doesn't have anyone who dislikes her. Most people here don't know her."

"Was it him?" Emma very quietly said.

He pulled her into his office. "You think it was Robin?"

"He knew both of them, and they were all having issues. I'm not saying it is him, but if it were, we need to take precautions." She was going to look at this from every single angle. She couldn't afford to leave one out.

"Sure, let's go up him and ask if he had a mental breakdown, slaughtered his wife and ex-girlfriend and painted the walls with their blood while destroying Regina's house. Yeah, that'll go so well."

"David, this is Regina we're talking about, and I don't want any loose ends. Talk to Robin and find out where he was. I'm going to get his men to look in the woods and then I'm going to find Rumpelstiltskin."

"Locator spell?"

"Among other things. Keep Hook looking through those books. He may find an answer." She left the station and went to find Rumpelstiltskin. She wasn't going to leave without his help. Whether or not he cared for Regina's well-being, he had to help. This thing was a risk to everyone, and if it got someone like Marian, it would get someone like Belle. It may even be able to get him. If it was in fact something from his vault that he locked away because it was too unpredictable, he was at risk as well; even more so than anybody else because he was the one who locked it away.

She opened the door to the shop and found him and Belle inside. "We need your help." She told him everything that happened, Belle look repulsed when Emma went into detail about Regina's house, and Emma wasn't sparing him the gory details. She wanted to see his reaction, see if he knew what this was by the look on his face. Faces reveal a lot, even his.

"I'd say so," Rumpelstiltskin replied. "What the hell did you do when you went back in time?"

"Short story: you locked me and Hook in a vault when you couldn't send us back."

"Did you touch anything?"

"No, I didn't touch anything. It was vault of dark magic that was too strong for you. Why the hell would I—?" She cut off. Killian touched something.

"What's that face?" Rumple asked, searching her eyes. "What did you touch?"

"Killian touched some sort of amulet."

"What did it look like?" He turned and moved a picture, unlocking a vault and pulling out a small book. He turned back to her. "Well, dearie?"

"It was gold."

"Yes, but what shape? Were there any jewels? Any symbols?" he pressed.

"Uhh, I don't know." She thought hard, remembering being locked up then yelling at him to put it down. She focused on the amulet. "Uhh, yeah. There was jewel. A diamond, I think."

Rumpelstiltskin scoffed, opening the book to the page with the described amulet. "Gold with a diamond. Did you touch it?"

"No, no. I told him to put it down and he did."

"Where did he put it down?"

"On a table. Why? Does the amulet mean something?" She didn't know why he was asking these questions, but she felt like they were going somewhere that only he knew. She wanted them both to have answers. She had to know _what_ she was dealing with and how to kick its ass, because she was the one who had to deal with it in the end. "Rumple?"

"I've collected many things, Ms. Swan, and this particular item...is very dangerous."

"Yes, I know. What the hell is it?"

"It's the embodiment of insanity," Rumpelstiltskin replied.

"You...had an amulet that embodies insanity?" Emma exclaimed. "What, having insanity inside you wasn't good enough? You had to make a frigging amulet. What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Hey!" Belle intervened.

"We have the spirit of insanity roaming our town and you want to yell at me for insulting your husband?" Emma glanced at her. "This thing brutally attacked Regina and may have something to do with Marian's disappearance. Why would it attack Regina? Why Marian? Does it have a certain type of people it attacks?"

"Well, dearie, I can assure you of one thing: _it_ didn't attack anyone."

"I saw what it did," Emma snapped. "Do you want to see pictures?" She dug her phone out and showed him the few pictures she had on it. "It's here, Rumple, and it may have attacked at least two people."

"The amulet contains it," Rumple explained. "It can only exist within a living host. If someone were, say, unconscious, it would enter that person and slowly or rapidly take them over."

"Why does it vary?"

"Magic is about emotion, dearie, and depending on how strong an emotion is changes the pace of possession."

"So if someone was really angry or jealous, it'll posses that person more quickly than someone's just a little upset?"

"Exactly."

"Okay, how do we know who it's in?"

"Your beloved touched it."

"Hook? It's inside Hook?" Emma shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. He hasn't shown any signs of possession."

"Well, perhaps he activated it, and you said he set it down?" She nodded. "Where exactly?"

"On a table." She thought back and mentally kicked herself. "By Marian. He set it by Marian."

"Ah, and seeing her husband swoon over Regina was the trigger, no doubt."

"I need to find her." She ran a hand through her hair. "Maybe Robin has something of Marian's we can use to locate her. I'll handle it from there."

Rumpelstiltskin laughed at her, very amused, and Emma glared at him while Belle picked up the book he had laid out in front of him and read over the page. She was frowning, and Emma wanted to know why he was laughing now.

"This cannot be beaten by you alone, Emma." Belle held the book out as her husband spoke. "I locked this thing away for a reason, and it was hard enough trapping it in the first place."

She glanced briefly over the words then groaned. "Are you kidding me?" She wanted to throw the book at him. "How are we supposed to stop this thing without killing Marian? I didn't bring her back just to kill her."

"That's a good question. I'm sure you'll find a good answer, Savior."

"I'm sure _we_ will," she shot back. "Belle, is there anything in those books you sent me?"

"I don't think so." She laced her fingers together. "I might have something, but it's a maybe."

"Anything will help."

Belle set a hand on Rumple's arm then disappeared into the back, Emma held the book out to him, and he took it, closing it and setting his hands over it.

"I'd suggest finding Regina, Ms. Swan. It's going to get cold."

Emma started to leave then turned to face him. "Do you really not care if she lives or dies? She was your student. Can you really just turn your back on her?"

"Do you know who you're talking to?" he asked.

She scoffed and left, going to find Robin's men. She was going to need help with this, and she couldn't leave any stone unturned. Rumple was right—it was starting to snow again. They could both be out here somewhere, wounded and weak. If Rumple wasn't going to help, it was walkie talkies and flashlights. Someone was bound to find them. They had to find them.

Rumple watched Emma leave then reached under the counter and grasped the gold chain that held the gold tree charm that Regina used to wear. He held it up, letting the light catch it, and he set it down on the counter. Reaching into the chest beside him, he pulled out a locator potion and took a deep breathe. Henry was his grandson, and he wasn't going to let him lose his mother, not like he lost Neal.

_**~mm~r~h**_

Henry paced the length of the couch while his grandmother put Neal down for a nap and let tea warm on the oven. Roland was sitting on the couch, addicted the game on Henry's phone. The sounds were starting to annoy Henry, and the minute he got his phone back, he was deleting that game. It was just making him more and more anxious. He couldn't just sit here and wait. His mom could be dead or dying, and he was just sitting here! He couldn't stand it any longer. He was getting out of here. He just needed to get by Mary Margaret. She was making tea, and if he offered to finish making the tea, he could slip a sleeping pill into her cup. Unfortunately, he didn't have any sleeping pills, and he didn't know which cabinet was the medicine cabinet. He doubted he could come up with an excuse for going through all of her drawers. She had both sugar and honey out on the counter.

"Sit, Henry, you're making me nervous." Mary Margaret pulled down two mugs. "The tea's almost done. It'll calm you down."

"No, it won't. My mom's missing, but according to Grandpa and Mom she might be dead, and you're serving tea? How can you be so calm?" She met his eyes and started to speak when he interrupted her. "I'm sick of always being treated like a kid. I can help! More importantly, I want to! She's my mom, and I should be out there searching for her, not being babied and watched!"

"I know exactly what you mean," she told him. "And I'm not going to sit back and let Emma and David handle this alone. That's not how this family works, so we're going to drink our tea and wait for Tinker Bell to get here to watch your uncle and Roland."

"Really?" Henry smiled. He had new respect for his grandmother. He knew she couldn't sit back and let something truly horrible happen to someone in their family. Also if anyone would let him go and search for Regina willingly, it was his grandmother. He was glad. He couldn't stay here, and he would have an issue sneaking out when Roland kept asking him questions about that stupid game. He really wished he'd just given the kid a pen and a pad of paper to draw on. At least he's distracted and doesn't know that his mom may be evil or dead.

"Really." She held up two boxes. "Earl gray or camellia?"

"Earl gray."

"Good choice." She smiled.

They drank their tea, Roland was given hot chocolate, and Tinker Bell arrived a little before nightfall. Mary Margaret made sure Henry was bundled up and warm, grabbing flashlights and a bag with a blanket and extra tea in case they found Regina. They would be able to keep her warm until help arrived. They weren't going to lose her.

When they got to the woods, Robin was instructing Archie and Belle where to go while Mother Superior handed out flashlight, glow sticks and walkie talkies. Leon had rounded up his men to help as well, and they were both surprised by the number of people. They were all looking for Regina and Marian. When it came down to it, this town did stick together. They just hoped David and Emma weren't going to find them right away and sent them back. They had every right to be here.

"You okay?" Mary Margaret asked as they walked through the woods, arms linked, hearing _"Regina"_ and_ "Marian"_ every now and then.

"Yes, Grandma, I'm warm and fine."

"I know Regina. Whatever they saw...it wouldn't be enough to take her away from you. She'll fight and keep on fighting until she's back to you. She keeps her promises."

He nodded. "I just don't get why Marian would hurt her. She seemed so meek and nice."

"Well, Emma probably knows. We'll find out if she catches us or in the morning at breakfast."

"It's probably something serious and life-threatening."

"Probably."

"Should we have come out there?"

"Yes."

They continued searching, looking for any tracks in untouched now or drops of blood or anything that belonged to Regina and Marian. It was getting later and colder, which made Henry and Mary Margaret and every single person out there searching for Regina and Marian look even harder, scrutinizing everything that looked suspicious and refusing to give up. If they did stop or miss one tiny detail, one of them could die. Nobody wanted that. They had to keep going, and Regina and Marian needed to just hold on.

_**~r~b~**_

Rumpelstiltskin poured the potion over the necklace, but to his slight surprise, nothing happened. He had a feeling this might happen. That damned thing was getting stronger by the minute, and if he couldn't find Regina, they were all screwed, plain and simple. He doubted Ms. Swan would use dark magic, but if it meant protecting Henry, perhaps.

He looked down at the book. He'd locked that beast away many, many decades ago, and now it was out, feeding off of Marian's jealously and hatred and confusion, darkening her thoughts. It would eventually kill her, and when she died, it would be unleashed. No tether, no host—just unbridled insanity that'd been stewing for far too long.

Of all things that damn pirate had to pick up, it just had to be that amulet.


	14. Snow Itself

Emma stood outside the library, the town was so empty as fresh snow drifted down toward the ground, blanketing the town, covering tracks that could have save someone's life. It was almost too convenient. She tugged her hat on, the cold slowly numbing her, but she had a job to do, and the sooner she got it done, the sooner the town, Marian and Regina were safe.

Hook jogged over to her, wearing one of David's heavy coats and beanies. "You called?"

"I just talked to Gold." She walked toward her car. "You know that amulet you picked up? Yeah, it turns out, it held the embodiment of insanity."

"I guess it's too late for a warning label."

She shook her head, smirking. "Well, you activated it, and it jumped into Marian. She's our attacker."

He scoffed. "That half pint?"

"Yeah. We need to find her. David's on his way with Robin's men to the woods. Archie and Blue are already there with some other people." She grabbed her keys. "Robin didn't have anything for a locator spell?"

"Not here."

She sighed and opened the door, leaning against it. "It's just as well. Gold isn't helping." She met his eyes. "Thank you." She set a hand on his cheek, smiling. "I'm gonna join them in the search. Do you wanna come?"

"I'd love to, Swan, but I've already be recruited to help Belle. I'm gonna stop by Regina's vault to pick up ingredients for a locator spell and see if anything of hers is there."

"Oh?"

"I really don't know how it happened." What he meant was: he didn't know how Belle persuaded him into it. He shrugged a shoulder. "I'll join you in the morning. Till then and according to Belle, we're gonna trying and find a way to separate Marian from the...what is it again?"

"The embodiment of insanity."

"Nothing too challenging then, eh?"

"I'll meet you at Mary Margaret's in the morning. I have so much to tell Henry. I'm glad he's safe and warm. It's freezing."

"Your hands are icy. Here." He pulled his own gloves out of his pocket and held them out to her.

"Why do you have a _pair_ of gloves?" She was smiling.

"Well, it's David's jacket."

"That was almost romantic." She slipped the gloves on. "I should go and meet David."

"Be careful, Swan."

She kissed him and got in her car. As she neared the woods, she could see flashlights and glow sticks hovering among the trees. She saw Archie and Blue talking to David, and she parked. Getting out, she felt the temperature had dropped again. It was getting cold. It was almost strange how Rumple had told her that. Was he hiding anything else?

"Dad?" She joined them.

"You made it." He hugged her. "Are you okay? It's gotten so icy. I slid on the way out here."

"Yeah, I noticed." She shoved her hands into her pockets. "Have you found anything?"

"Not yet," Archie replied. "We have a small group in town, but they hadn't reported anything strange."

"Are you taking any precautions?" Emma asked. "On the cold, I mean?"

"Yes." Blue gestured to the table. "We're offering hot drinks and blankets."

Emma nodded.

"Excuse us." David pulled her aside. "I talked to Robin, and he's clean."

"I spoke with Gold." She rehashed the conversation to him, speaking so that only he heard. She didn't want to worry the others. For all they knew, Marian wasn't a threat anymore. Maybe after attacking Regina, she...calmed down and the insanity did too. She could only hope for the sake of the townspeople. "Belle and Hook are trying to find a way to separate them, but according to Rumple the only way to do that is to kill the host."

"We're not killing Marian."

"I know. All we can do is hope Hook and Belle finding something, and hope we find Regina."

"I've got a bag with a blanket, first aid and hot coffee in the trunk of my car. I'll go get it and meet you here."

She nodded. "Be careful on the ice."

He gave a nod and carefully went to his car, Emma grabbed a flashlight and walkie, shining the light into the woods. She saw a few of the volunteers' reflector vests shine at the light, and she glanced back at Archie and Blue, remembering when Henry and he were trapped in the mine.

"Where's Pongo?" Emma faced him.

"At home. Why?"

"Could we borrow him? He might able to pick up Regina's scent." She was pleading. She didn't want to drag that poor dog out here in the cold, but it would speed this up, save someone's life and these people could get some warm food and drink in them before they freeze to death. "Please, Archie."

"Yeah, of course. It'll help Regina. I'll go get him."

"Have him smell her car," Emma suggested. Everything else was too torn up to even be used, and she didn't want think about Pongo catching the scent of Regina's blood. "Call me when you have him, and we'll be back."

Archie hurried to his car as David returned with the bag on his shoulders, watching Archie with confusion on his face.

"Pongo can pick up Regina's scent," Emma filled him in, walking deeper in the woods. "So, if we don't find her, he will. He found Henry and Archie in that mine. He'll find Regina."

"Good idea." He twisted his flashlight on. "Well, we can't use the tracks to see where other people have gone—they're covered now."

"Not completely." She saw an untouched path. "Let's go through here."

They traipsed through the woods, the cold was settling on their jackets and hats, their breath white puffs, their feet numbing as the walked. They hadn't come across anything but other volunteers and snowy trees. This was a harsh winter. If Regina had survived that attack and if she was outside, she was going to freeze to death. Emma hoped the worse thing that Regina had was hypothermia and a few cuts and bruises, but she doubted insanity played fair.

_The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it._

Emma shuddered. It wasn't from the cold numbing her nose, cheeks, and ears and drying her eyes. She scanned the area around her, her heart slowly increase its beating, and a crackling noise came from the walkie. She sighed and brought it to her lips. "Yeah?"

"I've got Pongo."

"Let's go." David put his arm around Emma, rubbing feeling back into her arm, guiding her back to the meeting place. Their combined heat did a lot for such cold weather, and luckily for them, Blue had made them a cup of hot chocolate that warmed them to their toes. Unfortunately, due to the cold, they also got bad news with that hot chocolate.

"They're leaving?" Emma repeated.

"It's just too cold," Blue said. "We'll stay and wait with Dr. Whale, but it's up to you. I'm sorry."

Emma sighed. "Fine. We can manage. Is Pongo ready?"

"Yeah, he's in the car." Archie held out his leash. "He's a tough dog, Ms. Swan."

She nodded, looking in on him. His big black eyes held unyielding determination, and it brought a smile to Emma's lips. She needed that. David was worried about Mom and her brother, because if it got any colder, it would affect the power. She knew his mind was focusing on that, but they couldn't leave Regina. She was family too. She was David's step-mother-in-law, and Emma's step-grandmother. Is that a thing? Eh, titles, who the hell needs them anyway.

"Let's go, boy." She opened the door and Pongo bolted. "Finally." She handed her cup to Blue and hurried after him, heeding the snow. _Just hold on, Regina._

_The man who invented it doesn't **want** it. The man who bought it doesn't **need** it. The man who needs it doesn't **know** it._

_**~h~mm~r~**_

Mary Margaret scanned the trees, seeing no movement, and she sighed, sitting down beside the fire she'd made as a signal. Henry was warm enough with the fifty-thousand layers she'd given him, and she was used to the cold. She knew Henry was probably starting to doubt them finding her, or maybe that was just a tiny part of her. They'd been through every tree, every ditch, every hollow truck and over every inch of the forest. Regina was nowhere to be found. How did she get so lost?

"Maybe magic is cloaking her," Henry said aloud as if reading her mind.

Her eyes lifted. "Maybe."

"How would we remove that cloak?"

"I don't know. I don't have magic." But somehow Emma does. "We'll just have to keep looking. I know someone who can help."

"Who? Snow dogs?"

"Wolf." Ruby walked over to them.

"Ruby." He was confused. When did Grandma call her? "You're helping us?"

"Yeah, I am. What're friends for?" She smiled. "Besides how often do I get to this chance?"

"Hopefully not very." Mary Margaret stood up. "Do you need her scent?"

"Trust me, I'd know Regina's high and mighty scent anywhere." She glanced at Henry. "No offense. I actually like the new Regina, but old habits die hard."

"Just see if you can get her scent, please." Henry knocked out the fire so it wouldn't get in the way of her smelling for Regina. The scent threw off dogs. He hoped Ruby could smell through it.

"All right. Give me a second." She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. The ice air filled her nostrils reaching her inner wolf, and she could practically taste the air. She detected earl gray tea on Snow's and Henry's breaths faintly, hot chocolate that meshed with Archie's naturally body scent and Blue's as well. She could smell the smoke from the fire, almost chocking her, and she also smelled leather. Genuine leather, and then another scent. It was artificial, though, most likely a fruit-scented shampoo, and forest. Pine. It was the same scent as Robin Hood, but it was extremely faint, like it was brief encounter—a hug. And then a strong wave of something tangy, and a rust-like taste that touched her tongue—blood.

_There_.

She opened her eyes, gold sparkling around the pupils. "I know where she is. C'mon."

"Not so fast, Ruby," Snow reminded her.

"Hurry. She's bleeding heavily. I can practically taste it."

"Mom." Henry hurried after Ruby.

The snow made it a little less slippery, but it was piling up and slowing them down, but they weren't going to let a little snow stop them. They had to push themselves, no matter how the cold was numbing them. Henry and Mary Margaret had to think of who they were trying to reach and how much they cared for them, and Ruby wasn't going to led anyone else to a body part of a dead person. She wasn't going to let Regina die.

The thought of Regina bleeding out in the woods terrified Henry. After he found out she was the Evil Queen from Snow White's story, he'd always thought of her as this indestructible wave of dark magic that was willing to do anything it took to destroy her enemies and anyone who stood in her way. Once he'd gotten to know her—the _real_ her—he thought of her as limitless force of magic that was willing to do anything to protect those she loved and the ones that person loved. He wanted that to be true now. He wanted her magic to somehow preserve her, to keep her safe until they got there. He didn't know if magic worked that way, but he hoped it did. He believed in her and her magic. Her _light_ magic.

Snow didn't bother wasting time on negative thoughts. She had to focus on getting to Regina. The tea have been drank by Henry and herself, but they still had the blanket and supplies. They would make her okay, and Regina was strong. Her heart wasn't the only thing that was resilient. She knew that from her days on the run, having been branded a murderer and of treason and treachery.

"Pongo?" Ruby stopped. "And Emma and David."

"What? Mom?" Henry looked around. "Where?"

"Over there. They're not close enough for you to see yet, but they're getting closer." She leaned forward. "They're...walking right at us. Pongo must have our scent."

"If Mom sees me out here, she's gonna kill me."

"It's too late for that." She continued forward. "We're gonna meet either way. C'mon."

"You had permission," Mary Margaret started.

"From you, not her." He was grounded for the rest of his life and then some. He could feel it. "At least we have someone to remove the cloak."

"Let's catch up."

They caught up to Ruby as Pongo stopped in front of her, David and Emma came to a halt at the sight of her then a screeching halt when Mary Margaret and Henry appeared. They were about to ask why they were out here in this weather and not inside with baby Neal and Roland when Henry automatically cut them off and mentioned that Regina may be hidden by a cloaking spell.

"You are not out of trouble. A cloaking spell?" Emma frowned.

"I'm pretty sure. It makes sense." He searched her eyes. "If this is the spot, all you have to do is remove the cloak."

"Oh, that's all?"

"You can do this," Henry assured her.

"All right." She closed her eyes, remembering the last time Regina had told her to use magic when she couldn't see the person or object. She could almost hear Regina's voice in her ear._ Well, you've focused. You've let emotion awaken your power. Now you have to look inward._ She believed in what Regina saw in her, and she could do this. She was just scared of what she'd see. She hoped that when her eyes opened, it was Regina she saw and not the sadness of losing someone else in Henry's eyes.

"Mom!"

Emma opened her eyes and was frozen by the sight in front of her.

"Get Dr. Whale!" Mary Margaret told Ruby who was the fastest runner. "Hurry!"

Ruby bolted, kicking up snow as she smelled out Whale.

"She's ice cold." Henry looked up at his mom and grandparents.

"Regina." Mary Margaret fell to her knees and grabbed her arm, pulling it out of the snow, feeling for a pulse on her icy wrist. "Regina!" She shook her. "Open your eyes. Open your eyes!"

"Mom, please."

"Regina!"

"Here." David had gotten the blanket out of his bag and they wrapped her in it. David started to pick her up, and everything seemed to echo loudly, like her breathing. The voices began to slur as Emma gazed down at the woman who had been a terror and a mentor to her, the snow seemed to freeze in falling around them, and everything was so slow. Dr. Whale seemed to take years to get there, her mom's cry of Regina's name echoed in her ear, Henry's questions kept bouncing around her unanswered, and David couldn't help Whale get Regina onto the gurney fast enough.

Somehow, Emma had made it to the ambulance with them, Henry was standing just outside as they tried to get Regina's heart to restart, Mary Margaret was in David's arms, biting on her thumb, and then Robin was there. He'd come running when Ruby called. He had red-rimmed eyes and he stopped when he saw Regina lying on that gurney. He took a deep breath before walking over to them, and David stopped him before he got to close, saw what the machines read, and Dr. Whale told them they needed to go.

They watched the ambulance drive off, Henry got into the car with David and Mary Margaret guided Emma into the backseat while Robin got in with Archie, Ruby and Blue. They followed the ambulance as it sped through town, people turned their heads to look as it did, and they all seemed to know who was resting too silently inside.

The snow had resumed falling heavily, the warmth of the hospital was almost too much on their icy skin, but it was nice and they all felt better toward the temperature. They were so sure Dr. Whale could help her. They hurried to her room, the same room Henry had been in and David also. They might as well have it reserved for their family.

They all came to a stop when they arrived, peering through the glass at the woman who had once made their lives so difficult, to put it modestly. Emma collapsed onto the seat behind her, her head dropping to her hands in her lap as she felt guilt wash over her, among other things. David reached instinctively to his daughter, setting a hand on her back and lowering himself down beside her while Mary Margaret went to her grandson who was pressing himself against the glass, staring with wide eyes at his mother. She put a hand on his shoulder, he turned around and she hugged him, holding him in her arms tightly.

Robin found himself approaching the room, and he knew he wasn't allow in at the moment seeing as he wasn't family and they were still looking her over, but he couldn't stop himself. He had the door opened and was inside the room before anyone realized he was moving. He couldn't breath as he looked her over.

Her beautiful, shoulder-length black hair fell around her shoulders seemingly ten shades darker, her lush lips had become so scarlet he could've sworn she'd been wearing lipstick, and her soft flawless skin was whiter than snow itself. Her body was so small lying there against blue sheets, so powerless and meek, so wrong. Marring her beautiful face were angry red cuts that would heal and not scar if she wakes. The many cuts that ran down her arms and legs, however; those would scar no doubt. _If she wakes._

"You can't be in here, sir." A nurse touched his arm. "You need to leave and let us do our job."

"And some job you're doing," he hissed, pulling away from her touch and storming out of the room, rubbing his jaw. He saw Henry in his grandmother's arms, Ruby by the entrance with her arms folded across her chest and David tending to Emma.

Emma looked up as the sound of hurried boot approached her, and she came eye to eye with Robin Hood and while normally his eyes would hold hope and faith, they held anger. "I can explain everything." She stood up. "When Killian and I brought Marian back—"

"Do you really think I care about the past at this point?" he growled, the venom in his voice stabbing her, but his voice was smooth, and it didn't break. "I don't give a damn about what you and Killian did in the Enchanted Forest. I care about what you did here! What you did here was unleash a woman who is cold toward our son, who is painfully distant to everybody and who was reported missing after Regina was brutally attacked. I don't believe in coincidences, Ms. Swan, but I did believe in you. That was my first mistake."

"Robin, there's nothing I can say—"

"Then don't." He pointed into the room where Regina was. "Tell your half-assed apologies to her. I'm going to find Marian and put an end to this." He didn't know how, but he was going to find her somewhere and subdue her. He was going to keep her bound and safe until Belle could fix this. She was about the only person he really trusted himself to believe in anymore. Anyone conscious, that is.

"I did the best I could," was all she said.

"Keep telling yourself that, but if she dies," he looked hard into her eyes, "it's on _you."_

Emma noticed the tears that appeared in his eyes when he walked away. She wanted go after him and tell him not to be so stupid, that Marian was dangerous and had taken out a powerful Queen, but her legs wouldn't allow her to move. Her eyes were still on Regina's motionless body, jolting occasionally as they tried to restart her heart for what felt like the millionth time. Her breathing became so heavy when she saw that look in Whale's eyes, that same look he'd given her after Henry died.

_Oh, no._


	15. Once Upon A Time

The faint spike of beeping echoed around them, Henry whirled around and let out a laugh of sheer happiness, Mary Margaret smiled and looked at David, who was disbelieving, and Emma exhaled. She was alive. After all Regina had endured, she had survived. Thank goodness.

"We were able to stabilize her," Whale told Mary Margaret and Henry.

"Perhaps we should bring in Rumpelstiltskin," Ruby suggested to Emma and David. "Since something of his did this, maybe he can help. Do some magic check-up."

"Yeah." David nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll go."

Whale's voice called to them. "We have an issue."

"What's that?" Henry asked.

"She's lost quite a bit of blood, and we don't have many donors with an O negative blood type."

"O negative?" Snow repeated. "I helped with the blood drive a few times. I thought we had some O negative donors."

"We did, but this curse brought new people. There's only two that I know of that have this blood type."

"Well, who are they?" Henry pressed. "We'll talk to them. They'll understand."

"It won't be that easy. The two with this blood type are Marian and Roland Hood. He brought Marian in after shortly she arrived and Roland just before then. I double checked, and I'm sorry to say I'm not wrong."

"You've got to be kidding me," Emma breathed.

"Can't you call in blood or something?" Henry begged. "You have to do something. You can't let her die!"

"Henry." Emma tried to comfort him, but he moved away from her touch. She felt a twinge of pain at that, and she frowned.

"She's been through hell, and I wish I could do more, but I can't."

"Can't magic help?" Emma met his eyes.

"I don't suggest that, dearie."

They turned to face Rumpelstiltskin, Whale couldn't wait to hear how magic couldn't help them, and Emma wanted to know why the hell not. Magic had helped through worse than this. Hadn't it? How bad was this even?

"If you'll excuse us," Rumple directed a wave to Dr. Whale and Ruby.

Whale scoffed. "She's _my_ patient."

"Let's just go." Ruby nudged his shoulder and turned, waiting for him, and he reluctantly followed.

"How can magic be useless?" Henry crossed his arms.

"Because it's gotten stronger." He was resentful. "I couldn't use a locator spell on Regina, and using any magic on her directly may...backfire or worse. We need to find this young woman soon."

"Why soon?" Mary Margaret narrowed her eyes.

"I left out one detail. After a while the essences starts to take a toll on the host, causing their body to decay. If that happens, it'll jump again and we may never find out who its taken over then. It's a tricky little bastard, and it's very powerful and relentless."

"And you didn't think I needed to know that?" Emma snapped.

"You know now, and is there anything you could've changed?"

She glared, but held her tongue. "Do you have a lead?"

"I do actually."

"Good. Let's go." She turned to Henry. "Stay here. If I catch you outside, you're grounded and not just for a week."

"Just go," Henry impatiently demanded. "I know the rules and the warnings, and I won't leave Mom's side. You're just wasting time we don't have."

"He's right," Rumple mumbled.

"Be careful," she said before leaving with Rumple, putting a talk about his tone on hold. He was emotional, she was emotional, and they needed to talk this over once everything was normal.

"One of us should check on Tinker Bell. We weren't supposed to be gone this long. Neal's probably awake by now," Mary Margaret said to her husband, but seeing the look in her eyes told him she didn't want to leave Henry or Regina.

"I'll go."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He pulled her into a tight hug, placing a kiss on her forehead and releasing her. "Henry?"

"Yeah?"

"Take care of them."

"I will."

Mary Margaret gave him a loving smile before he disappeared down the hall. "Well, I don't think Dr. Whale's going to be back anything soon." She crossed her arms. "And he didn't say he _couldn't_ go inside to visit her now that she's stable."

He looked at her, his lips pulling upward in a smile, and he went into her room. He was still worried about her, because she was still so pale, and as he took her hand, he felt was still ice cold. He'd never seen anything like this before, and he was scared. He didn't know what to do or how he could help her, so he decided to be here for her. No one in her life ever really was.

He grabbed a chair and sat down, holding her hand in his, hoping to warm her hand up. "Once upon a time there was a Queen," he began. "She was horribly misunderstood..."

_**~?~t~**_

"I really don't know what I'm doing," Tinker Bell told David, trying to calm Neal. "You should take him immediately."

He closed the front door and took Neal from her arms, soothing him. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. We're all fine."

"Good. After what just happened..." He shook his head. "Are you busy?"

"No. Why?" What just happened was what she really meant, but she would ask after he answered.

"Because I have to leave again. I wouldn't ask you if I didn't have any other choice."

She nodded. "I understand. Just put him down or feed him or whatever is that makes him stop crying."

He chuckled. "You're not good with babies."

"Why would I be?" She peered over his shoulder at Roland. "That kid will sleep through anything. It's impressive actually. Have you found his mum yet?"

"No, but we found Regina."

"You did?" That got her attention. "Is she okay?"

"No, she's not." He shook his head, rocking Neal gently. "She's in a coma."

"Oh, no. What happened?"

"Somebody really powerful attacked her the other night, and we almost lost her, because they had a strong cloaking spell up, but we found her, still holding on. It's so strong, it even managed block Rumpelstiltskin's magic."

"So, Emma's the only one able to stop it then." Tinker Bell shook her head. "I'm glad she has her magic back. I just hope it's enough to stop this thing and wake Regina." She looked at Neal. "Do you ever wonder if he'll have powers too? Savior Junior."

David punched Tinker Bell hard, knocking her unconscious and baby Neal cried loudly at that. "Oh, shh." It held him up. "Emma's the most power one in town, hmm?" It smirked. "We'll see."

It stepped over Tink's limp body, taking the baby upstairs and setting him in his crib, putting him to sleep. It hurried down the stairs and picked up Roland, smiling when Roland put his arms around its neck—that small piece of her wiggling through.

This ought to get Emma's attention. If Roland's missing, Robin will come, and Emma will come to save them both as all heros do. What a fine, _strong_ host she'll make. The only thing strong about Marian was her motherly nature, preventing it from taking the baby. She was foolish if she thought Roland was smart enough or brave enough to get away from it. Besides, it always won. Always.

**~d~r~**

David glanced at the apartment, feeling guilty as he continued driving. He needed to talk to Robin before he went off and got himself killed. David knew what he was going through, having gone through that himself, and he knew what to say to help Robin through this.

David found Robin in the woods—of course—stalking up and down an area like a dog, looking for something, and David realized this was where his camp was. Why would Marian come back here? Was he looking for a trail? He wasn't going to find one with all of the snow recently. No matter how good of a tracker he was, he wouldn't find anything useful—just get a cold. They needed him. Regina needed him.

"Robin." David stuffed his ungloved hands into his pockets as he approached the pacing man.

"Did something happen?" His eyes were wide. "She's still alive, isn't she?"

"Yes, Regina's fine. That's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you here? I'm busy, can't you see that?"

"We need to talk, Robin." David kept his guard up. He could tell Robin hadn't slept, and he was pissed off. He didn't want to be caught off guard by a man with a crossbow strapped to his back and years of experience with it. David only a gun he'd left in his glove compartment. He knew self-defense, so he wasn't too worried, but he didn't want to hurt Robin. "_You_ need to talk."

"Talk about what?" He crouched down and pushed aside snow.

"Anything that's on your mind."

Robin looked over at him and scoffed. "Shouldn't you be with your cynical daughter and the silver tongue looking for Marian? Or have you given up as well?"

"Emma grew up in a world that wasn't like ours. She reaches for logical, not magic first. Less than three years ago, we were all stories to her and then a year ago her memories were erased and replaced by Regina. Hook helped her remember with a potion. She needs time to re-adjust." He studied Robin's body language. "And if anyone can find your wife, it's Emma and Rumpelstiltskin."

"I talked to Belle before I got the call," Robin told him. "I know you all intend to kill Marian. That's the only way to separate the two."

"No. Emma would never kill an innocent."

Robin swallowed hard. "An innocent, no. How about a woman who's been bewitched, taken over by pure insanity that feeds off jealousy and anger? Will she not kill an innocent then?"

"Not even then. She'll find another way. Emma always does."

"Good. If you'll let me return to my work."

David didn't move. He could practically see the tension pouring off Robin as he kicked snow about, his eyes still red-rimmed. He was out here trying to prove a point that didn't need to be proved. David wasn't sure he could make Robin see that none of this was his fault. It was Hook's fault, if he was being honest. Why did he have to touch things?

"I know how you feel," David started, and Robin met his eyes. "You feel weak and useless. The woman you love more than anything is suffering. She's lost and trapped within her body, unable to regain control. There's an evil out there that can be anywhere, that can take anyone without proper protection, including Roland and you and your men." Robin shifted his weight. "Your chest is tight, and you feel like the whole world is crumbling underneath your feet, but you're still standing there, watching, waiting for your turn. It's not going to come, Robin."

He sighed deeply. "I was so clueless," he whispered.

"You were happy to have her back. I know how that feels too."

"It was right in front of me the whole time, and I didn't see it. I should've known something was wrong. She was my wife, and I should've known!" He stormed over to David. "I've played it in my head a hundred times, and the signs were there. Now, Marian's gone, and Regina's..." His voice dropped off, and he turned away.

"Did you really think roaming the woods aimlessly was going to help Regina and Marian?"

"I'm not aimlessly roaming. I saw Marian here the other night. I thought I was seeing things, but I wasn't. Her cloak's by that tree." He motioned towards the tree where her purple cloak hung, snow clinging to it. "She wanted to keep it to remember our home."

"She's not the one that got rid of it." David scanned the woods. "We have to go. Now." He grabbed his arm and hauled him towards the car.

A ball of fire shot by them, barely missing them, and they ran to the car, more balls of fire being shot at them. All of the fireballs were very close to hitting them, but they would veer off, teasing them almost. If the car wasn't right there, they would be chased through the forest, slowly losing their minds at every sound, every slight movement. It was definitely with there.

David drove as quickly as he could, heeding the ice, and he wondered when Rumple was going to tell them this thing could use magic too. He needed to check on Neal and Tink now. He was worried. Roland was there too. If Marian was in there at all, she would want her son.

"When did I miss the part about bloody balls of fire?!" Robin exclaimed.

"Apparently, the same time I did."

"Oh, how reassuring."

They arrived at his apartment, the fireball game had ended in the woods, but there was something in the pit of Robin's stomach that made him worry that something else was going on. He couldn't get out of David's car soon enough, and he rushed inside. He'd felt something similar earlier before he'd been notified Regina was missing. It was persistent and made the world tilt.

Robin tensed when he saw the door to Mary Margaret and David's apartment ajar, David stopped behind him, and they both pulled out their weapons. Robin went in first, nothing was out of place, and he almost relaxed, but he saw Tinker Bell on the floor.

"Tink!" He set his crossbow on the counter and lowered himself down beside her, lifting her up gently. "Tinker Bell?"

David ran upstairs, the fear of losing his son rolling through him, but there Neal was, nestled up in the blanket Granny had made for him, sleeping peacefully. He exhaled softly and placed a kiss on Neal's forehead gently as to not wake up.

"Tink?" Robin shook her. "Are you all right?"

"Mmm..." She came to, lifting a hand to the cut on her cheek, wincing. "David... He attacked me."

"What?" Robin looked into her eyes. "David wouldn't attack you."

"Then someone who looks exactly like him did."

"It can shape shift?" Robin heaved a sigh. This just kept getting better and better. "Here." He helped her stand up as David rushed down the stairs. "How are they?"

David checked the bathroom and under the bed, but Roland wasn't there. He tried the closet, but no. He turned to face Robin, but Robin already knew what he was going to say. "Robin, don't!" David yelled after Robin, who grabbed his crossbow and ran out the door. "Watch Neal." He chased after Robin.

"Yeah, sure." She winced at the pain that burned through her body, leaning on the island.

David caught Robin just outside, grabbing his arm, but Robin jerked back, the look in his eyes was murderous. David held his hands up in a gesture of peace as rage poured off of Robin. He had to calm him down, but his child's life wasn't on the line the last time.

"List—"

"Don't stand there and waste my time with some bullshit story, telling me how you know how this feels! I need to find my son!"

"I _do_ know how this feels," David quickly explained, following Robin as he walked into the middle of the road. "Snow and Emma were sent to the Enchanted Forest for days, and I couldn't do _anything_ to help. I could only believe that they were safe, and they were. They came back to me."

_"Your_ daughter is _an_ _adult_!" Robin spat. _"Your_ wife isn't _possessed_! This isn't the same thing!"

"I—"

"Roland is only _five_ years old, David! He's small and defenseless! How does he compare to Emma? She's the bloody Savior! She has magic! Roland's just a boy!"

The only upside to him yelling was he wasn't storming off to his death, but he was right. Marian wasn't Mary Margaret. She wasn't forced to learn how to protect herself, how to trade with Ogres, how to dress a wound, although they were both on the run from Regina's Black Knights. And Emma and Roland didn't compare in any category. When he lost Emma as a baby, he forgot about her and Mary Margaret the next day, because he was in a coma.

"Marian can't even control what she's doing! She's a puppet to insanity, and she's fading away!" His voice got weaker. "So is Regina...because of me."

"It's not your fault," David protested.

"Yes, it is. Do you think I don't know, David? I was thinking about it back at the station. I was trying not to jump to conclusions, but I did, and they made sense, especially after talking to Belle." Robin swallowed hard, the ache inside of his chest was starting to become a part of him. "It was Marian the entire time. She couldn't control herself, but it was still _her_ emotions that fed that _thing._ She could see how I feel about Regina, how I watched her. I'm the reason _this_ happened. I know Hook was the one who activated the amulet, but if my feelings weren't so evident, it wouldn't have swallowed her whole. It wouldn't have attacked Tink or Regina, and Henry wouldn't be holding his mother's icy hand and wondering if she's going to make it through the night."

"We can still fix this," David assured him. "There's still time."

"I can't just wait around. I have to find my son."

"I know, just let me call Emma and tell her. She and Rumple may know more now, and she'll know to look for Roland."

"Fine. You've got five minutes then I'm leaving."

He dug out his phone, but there was no service. "Damn. The snow's screwing with my service."

"Then I'm going."

"Wait." He lifted his arm a little, trying to get service, and Robin watched him with a small amount of amusement as he tried to get service. After a few minutes of trying, he managed to. He sent Emma a text. "There."

"Let's go then."

"I can't leave my son and Tinker Bell here alone," David told him. "She was attacked. She may need medical attention, and I won't risk my son."

Robin nodded. "I won't either."

They went back to the apartment, David filled Neal's bag with diapers and formula and wrapped him up before they four of them left. Robin didn't want to go into the hospital, but he wanted to check on Regina. He was worried this time may be the last time. He made a promise that it wouldn't be. Henry believed in her, and he did too. He needed to start acting like it.

"David." Mary Margaret frowned. "What happened? Why did you bring Neal here?"

"It was at our apartment." He set the carrier down gently as to not wake Neal.

"Is Tinker Bell all right? Where's Roland?"

"He was taken. I told Emma about it and..."

Robin stopped hearing David when he saw Regina. Henry was with her, talking to her, and Robin didn't want to disturb him, so he waited just outside the door. He caught Henry's peripheral vision, and Henry waved him in, even when Robin shook his head no.

"Hey." Henry smiled out of politeness.

"Hey." Robin returned it. "How is she?"

"Good...for now."

"What do you mean?"

"She'll need blood in a couple of hours, and they don't have any." Henry noticed Roland wasn't with him or his grandparents, but Neal was. "Did something happen?"

"It take on different forms," Robin told him. "It used David's to take my son."

"It took Roland?" Henry felt his throat tighten. "I'm so sorry."

"I'll get him back."

"Could you stay with her?" Henry asked. "I'm starving, and I haven't used the bathroom since we got here, but I don't want her to be alone."

"Of course."

"Here. You can have my seat." He stood up, releasing her hand that was just now warming, and he glanced back once at them before he left the room. "Roland's gone?" he asked his grandpa.

"Yeah."

"What are we going to do?" Henry searched his eyes, and David's brows furrowed. "I'm worried about Roland. He's really sweet when he's not bugging me about that game, and I like him, but Mom needs blood. No one feels as horrible as me about saying this, but he's the only option we have."

"Not only, mate." Hook walked over to them.

"What?" Mary Margaret looked at him. "You're O negative?"

"Afraid so."

"Is that a good idea?" She glanced at Henry. "I mean...you're a pirate."

Hook smirked. "I'm clean, love."

"Well, I just wanted to make sure."

"I'll get Dr. Whale." Henry smiled widely. "Thank you!" He ran out of the room to find him.

"How do you know your blood type?" David inquired.

"If you'll recall, I was in this hospital for a time after I got hit by a car."

"Right."

Dr. Whale and Henry returned then, Henry was breathless as Whale told Hook where to go to donate blood, and Mary Margaret went to tell Robin as Hook left and Whale told them that Tinker Bell was getting some tests done downstairs. She'd hit her head harder than they thought.

"I have good news." Mary Margaret smiled at Robin. "We have a donor. She's going to be fine."

"A donor?" He let out a laugh. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

He stood up and hugged her, surprising Mary Margaret. She could tell he needed good news right now—they all did. Regina was going to make it medically, so as soon as Emma and Rumpelstiltskin find and extract the insanity from Marian, she should wake. He could focus fully on Roland now.

_**~h~**_

Hook looked around the room he was waiting in, all of the signs read Give blood to save lives about ten different ways, and just when he was though the nurse wasn't going to come in, she did. He didn't mind the cold alcohol pad or the needle or even watching the blood slowly make its way through the tube into the blood bag. He was glad he could help in some way. If Emma didn't insist on him staying to protect them, he would've been out there with her.

_**~eh~**_

"_Rumple and I are going to check the barn, see if maybe she's there or has been there." _

_He narrowed his eyes, seeing pain deep in her eyes. "What is it, Swan?"_

"_Hmm?" _

"_You've that a look in your eyes."_

"_What look?" She crossed her arms, but it was more protective than challenging._

"_Like someone's stolen your favorite gun. What is it?"_

_She sighed. "Henry."_

"_What about him? He's all right, isn't he?"_

"_Yeah. Yeah, he's safe. He's with Mom at the hospital." She shrugged a shoulder. "It's just... Henry blames me for what happened to Regina."_

"_No, he doesn't, Swan. He's just upset." She let out a sigh. "Did he say something?"_

"_No, but when I tried to touch his shoulder, he moved away. I know my son, and he blames me for this." She met his eyes. "And to be honest, I blame myself too."_

"_It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known."_

"_That's bullshit!" Her voice was soft. "I had information that I ignored! Regina knew something was off with her, and what did I do?" She hugged her arms tighter, trying not to let the tears show. "Regina's dying, Killian, and that's on me."_

"_Can they do nothing?"_

"_Not without blood. They don't have enough O negative. Some hospital." She sniffed. "You should have seen Henry's face. I don't think he'll ever forgive me if she dies. _I _wouldn't forgive me if she dies."_

"_Is there anything I can do?"_

"_Yes, I need you to go to the hospital and protect Henry, Mom and Regina. David's going to look for Robin, and I need to know they're safe."_

_He thought about what she'd just said, and he knew how he could help them. "I can donate."_

"_What do you mean? Donate...blood? You're O negative?"_

"_I'm many things, Swan, and that happens to be one of them."_

_She smiled for the first time since the conversation started and hugged him tightly. "You have no idea what this means to me, to all of us!" She pulled back to cup his cheeks and kissed him. "Thank you, Killian."_

"_You're welcome, Emma."_

_She narrowed her eyes. "Did you just call me Emma? What, no Swan?"_

"_Happens all the time, love." He smirked. "I'll see you at the hospital."_

_She nodded. "Keep them safe."_

"_I will. Be careful, Swan. If Rumpelstiltskin had to lock this thing away, it's pretty damn powerful."_

"_I know, but I'm stronger." She gave him a small smile before walking to her car. She felt her phone vibrate, so she checked it and ran to her car. Damn it, no! _

_**~r~mm~h**_

Hook was resting on the chairs from having given a lot of blood for Regina; Mary Margaret was adjusting the blinds in Regina's room so the light didn't hurt her eyes—opened or closed—Henry read to both Regina and Neal while Dr. Whale gave her the first of Killian's blood.

"Just holler at me if anything changes," he told them.

"We will." She smiled. "Thank you."

He returned her smile and left at the same time Ruby entered, and Mary Margaret noted the look between them silently. She would talk to her later. It would be nice to have a conversation with someone who could respond. She might want to cry as much.

"I brought food." She set a basket down. "Granny thought you'd like a hot meal."

"I'm not hungry," Henry said before going back to the book.

"Too bad." She opened the basket and dropped a Granny to-go box on his lap. "Eat up, kiddo. You know Regina would want that."

He lowered his eyes then marked the page and opened the box.

Mary Margaret smiled a thank you at Ruby, and she nodded. "Did you bring anything hot to drink?"

"Tea. Granny thought you could use it." She handed it to her with her lunch. "I have two extra for David and Emma, but they aren't here. I figured, but Granny insisted." She thought for a second. "I already gave one to Hook, so I could give these to Whale and Archie instead."

"Archie's here?" Henry's head snapped up. "Why?"

"He twisted his ankle, I think." She shrugged. "It was wrapped, so I guess he slid on the ice."

"It's getting bad out there."

"Leroy's going to salt the ice after breakfast. You know him and his bacon."

"Is that why we didn't get any?" Henry mused.

"Has he ever done charity?" Ruby teased back, getting a smile out of him. "If you want lunch, and I know you will, I'm bringing chicken strips and fries. Maybe a salad too." She picked up the basket.

"Thank you, Ruby."

"You're welcome. I'll see you at noon." She tossed a wave over her shoulder as she left.

"Do you think Mom and Rumpelstiltskin found anything?" Henry looked up at his grandmother.

"If they had, they'd have let us know." She sat down to eat. "Don't worry about them, Henry. They're both powerful, and it isn't going to get them."

All he did was worry.

_**~e~r~**_

"What the hell is that?" Emma gaped, staring at what used to the barn.

"That's what I was afraid of." Rumple reached a hand out, an electric pulse vibrated through his hand, the energy shimmering. "It has raised a protective shield. Only unconscious minds can enter now."

"We have to be able to enter." Emma looked over the shield.

"We can." He faced her. "Well, one of us."

She lowered her eyes to his. "Me, you mean."

"Well, if you want to be a floating spirit for, say, eternity, I can go with you."

"Thank you for the support."

"I'm not here to offer any. I'm here to ensure you arrive there safely."

"Just arrive safely?" Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "What aren't you telling me, Gold?"

"Well, with this particular enemy, it'll take more than just magic to stop it. Magic will help, yes, but it takes a very strong mind as well." His eyes flickered to hers. "Do you have what it takes?"

"I'm the Savior," she replied. "Let's do this."

"Being the Savior has nothing to do with it," Rumple informed her. "We'll need a few things. They're in the trunk."

Emma eyed him then shook her head and opened the trunk of his car, finding a blanket, pillow and candles. "What exactly are we doing?" She pulled them out, seeing him burning away snow to make a well-sized circle.

"Basically, you're going to sleep. I'll move your consciousness into that energy—"

"Whoa, what?! You're moving my what?" She tossed the blanket onto the ground. "When were you planning on telling me this?"

"I wasn't." She glared. "Have some trust, Ms. Swan, otherwise you'll follow in your father's footsteps." He laid the blanket out. "And end up right beside Regina."

"If you leave me to die in there, I'm coming back as a spirit or ghost, and I'm kicking your ass." She dropped the pillow on the blanket and held out the candles.

"You have my word that I'll get you out of there alive." Or try to anyway. "Lie down, get comfortable, you may be in there for a while."

"Reassuring." She lied down, resting her head on the pillow and her arms across her stomach. "Am I supposed to feel something?"

"Just close your eyes." He emptied the bag and set the five candles around her head, but far enough away so her hair wouldn't catch on fire. He waved his hand across them, lighting them with magic, and he crossed his legs. "Clear your mind. It's very important that you clear your thoughts." He watched her closely.

"Mind's clear." She exhaled, the scent of leaves and honey began to make her sleepy. She felt warmth wrap around her, fighting off the cold winter air, and then the sound of waves dragged her down even closer to sleep. She could almost taste the salt, feel the spray of water, and the last thought she had was of the Jolly Roger and Hook then blackness.

Rumple smiled to himself as the candles put her to sleep, but he waited, still sensing part of her awake. He set his hand on her forehead to try and stifle that part of her brain that focused on everyone else, and as he did, Emma began to think of Regina lying helplessly in that hospital bed, skin too pale.

Rumple removed his hand, summoning Emma's consciousness and sending it into the mass of energy just beside them. He didn't let his guard down as it passed through, and suddenly Emma jolted, eyes snapped open before she fell back onto the blanket, still.

"You didn't clear your mind, did you, dearie?"

_**~mm~h~**_

"I'm not tired," Henry swore. "I'm fine."

"_If_ you need to rest," Mary Margaret emphasized.

"Those chairs are comfy, mate." Killian was trying to free his finger gently from baby Neal's grasp, but he wasn't succeeding.

"I know, but I want to be here when she wakes up." He divided a look between them. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, of course not." Mary Margaret rubbed his back. "I'm going to use the bathroom. If anything happens—"

Something happened then. The machines went crazy, blaring beeps, and Regina jolted forward, her eyes snapped open and a strangled gasped escaped her lips before she fell back onto the bed, back into unconsciousness. She was still.

Dr. Whale ran into the room. "What the hell just happened?" He looked at them, examining Regina.

They didn't say anything, just stared at Regina's motionless form.

Whale cursed, tossing his stethoscope down. "All of you need to leave right now!" He turned to Killian. "We'll need more blood. Her wounds have reopened. Damn it!"

"Mom?" Henry tried to reach her, but they were being pushed out by nurses, and his eyes widened as blood dripped from Regina's fingertips to the floor. "Mom!"

"Henry, don't look." Mary Margaret set Neal's carrier down and pulled Henry into her arms so he couldn't see Regina. "Don't look."

Hook didn't want to leave them like this, but she needed blood.

"Go." Mary Margaret met his eyes. "I've got him. Go."

The nurse all but dragged Killian away, Whale yanked the sheet across so that they couldn't see Regina anymore; and Henry started shaking, machines were still in their hearing range, and they could hear it flat-lining. Henry cried, causing Neal to cry, and Mary Margaret tried to be strong for them, but that sound was so piercing. She knew this insanity was powerful, and Regina would be all right in the end, but it was so difficult to believe when they kept having what little hope they had ripped away. She had to have hope, and she had to believe in her daughter and in Regina. It would all be okay.

Holding Henry closer with one arm and setting a hand on Neal's stomach, she closed her eyes and blocked out the sound. Machines didn't decide what happened to Regina. Regina was the only one who decided what happened to Regina. She wouldn't give up, not with Henry waiting for her, and so many people here for her. Mary Margaret wasn't going to let anyone here give up either.


	16. Mine, Yours, Ours

Emma opened her eyes, gasping at the sight before her, and she looked down at herself. She was child again, living with foster parents she couldn't stand. She hated them. They always made her so angry. Back when she thought her real parents would come and save her, having changed their minds and wanted her, she'd yell, "My real parents are coming for me!". It'd always piss them off too, because they were just being nice, trying to make it work. It never worked.

She walked down the hall, still smelling that potent cologne her foster father wore, and she looked around. She had the mind of her former self, but the body of a child. Okay, what the hell good is this going to do? Little kids can't do much damage, with or without magic.

She groaned softly. Did she still have magic? Did this age or time affect that? She couldn't openly use magic, but seeing the look their faces might just be worth it. They were both so jumpy.

_Focus, Emma**. **_She shook her head and headed down the stairs, going for the front door.

"Where are you doing?"

Emma looked over and saw her foster mother there, drying her hands. "Outside."

"Emma, you're grounded, honey." She bent down to be at eye level. "We sent you to your room."

"You did?"

"Emma." She moved some of Emma's hair off her shoulder. "I know you don't like it here, but please, make it the most of it. We love having you here, so please try and behave."

"Behave?" What had she done? This part was blurry.

"Yes. Go upstairs, and I'll bring you some warm milk."

Emma's nose wrinkled slightly. She remembered them now. They were the creepy couple who acted like sugar was the devil and only allowed naturally sweetened thing in the house. Emma had "gotten" a candy bar, and they found out. She still swore her foster father devoured that thing late in the night.

"Yeah, I'll go upstairs and...read."

She smiled. "That's my girl."

Emma waited until the woman left before looking around. "Where the hell am I going? Any hints, Gold?"

He said nothing.

"Asshole." She went upstairs to the room that was hers and closed the door. She climbed onto the bed and closed her eyes, focusing. She wasn't sure what to focus on, so she thought of Marian. She could feel the room shifting, and she opened her eyes, frowning.

"What the hell?" She was room unfamiliar to her. It was a castle, she could tell by the flags holding royal crests and the thrones behind them. The beautiful stained glass windows that cast multicolored moonlight in. The moonlight showed a table filled rich food—cakes, breads, fruits and a roast swan—but only one chair with one golden plate held food that had barely been touched.

She looked at the other tables that were covered with sheets, slowly gathering dust. She frowned. The room was so empty, so cold, and it had nothing to do with the temperature. This room was so dark, even with the fire placing popping softly. She would never want to be the person eating here. This person must have been so lonely and sad.

She noticed a light past the thrones and walked over to it slowly, still not sure why she seeing this. She'd never been in a castle, certainly not one this dank and dark, since she was a newborn. She could and talk and control her bladder just fine, so who else was here?

She entered a room and saw color for the first time since those red crests. There was a canopy bed with thick pink blankets and about a thousand pink pillows placed on it. She had an urge to jump on it just to see the pillows fly off, but at movement in her peripheral vision, she tensed.

"What the hell is going on?" Regina exclaimed, whirling around and narrowing her her eyes. "Emma?"

"Regina?" Emma's mouth fell open, moving out from her obviously crappy hiding place. "You look...different." She couldn't stop herself from staring. She'd never seen Regina look like this. In leather with crappy hats and those annoying and painful corsets, but never so...virginal. The cream-color of the very modest gown only seemed emphasize the virginal look. She had a lot of hair too, more hair than her mom had when Hook and she saw her in the past.

"As if you look any better." Regina glared. "What the hell is going on, Emma?"

"I'm trying to stop Marian. What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure. I was dreaming, and then I woke up and...came here after." She gave her outfit a look of disgust, remembering this night well.

"You woke up? For how long? How was Henry? Did he see you?"

She shook her head. "For only a second. I didn't see anybody." She looked at Emma. "Henry's with me?"

"We can't pry him away. Don't worry, though, I'm sure Mom's gotten him to eat."

"How are they? I can hear their voices, but not their words. They sound sad. Is it that bad?"

Emma couldn't look at her.

"I'm fighting, but it's all so...deep. I don't think there's an end."

"You're in good hands," was all Emma could say.

"I was in good hands. Now I'm in hell. Do you mind explaining that to me, Ms. Swan?"

"Rumple sent my consciousness into a mass of energy, and you were my last thought. I was worried that if I couldn't beat this...you'd die. If you died...Mom would be devastated, and Henry—" She couldn't finish.

"Rumpelstiltskin removed your consciousness? _You_ dragged me in here?" She was really glowering now. "Do you have any idea how much risk you put us in?"

"Would it make you feel better if I lied?" Emma winced at the look Regina gave her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you at risk. Or myself, but that's a part of my job."

"If you fail to separate or subdue or whatever your planning to do to Marian, you may die. _If_ you're lucky."

"And if I'm not?"

"You'll be in a coma, reliving all of this for the rest of your life, and so will I."

"What?" Emma exclaimed.

"If you fail, your fate is my fate," Regina restated. "And if you do succeed...we'll still have to fight our way out of here."

"Then I won't fail. Henry's not losing either of us."

"Do you think it's that easy? If you think simply saying you won't fail and then sword-fight or gun-sling your way through these challenges is how you defeat whatever has taken Marian over, you're wrong, Ms. Swan. It's not about how much magical power you have either. It's all about the strength of your mind."

"That's why Rumpelstiltskin had such a hard time containing this thing, isn't it? He's own madness was his weakness."

"Well, give the girl a metal."

"We need to stick together. Is there anyway to ensure we will?"

"In here, we're just spirits. Magicless, bodiless spirits, helpless to the will of insanity. Or Marian, if she has any strength of mind."

Emma groaned, and Regina, who would normally be amused by her frustration, wondered how they were going to get out of there alive. They had no plan, no magic—not in these forms—and the only person who could help them was to busy being Emma's anchor.

"I have a plan." Emma closed the space between them. "We're going to have to hold hands."

"This plan already sucks." Regina reluctantly slapped her hand into Emma's. "Damn, I was hoping we were incorporeal."

"Just hold on. The room's shifting."

"I can barely hold back my hope of this plan working," Regina dryly replied.

_**~h~mm~k~**_

Neal was sleeping in his carrier, and Henry was asleep on the chairs with his head in Mary Margaret's lap, her fingers gently stroking his hair, her eyes staring at the unmoving sheet in front of her, willing it to move. Henry's and Neal's even breathing had a calming affect on her, but her heart still shot out of her chest when a nurse with blood on her moved into view. David's and Robin's boots coming to a halt in the room made her jolt. They were panting, hair damp with melting snow, and they both looked at the covered room with worried eyes. They'd gotten the call, but it only just came in.

"Is she okay?" Robin's eyes were glued to the room.

"They haven't told us anything." Her voice was so empty and dry. "We've been waiting for hours."

"And they haven't been able to stabilize her?" David was worried about more than just Regina.

"No."

"Mary Margaret?" He set a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"No." She nuzzled her cheek against his hand, gripping his wrist with her free hand. "I am so not all right."

"Then I guess I'm not bringing good news." Belle offered a smile to them. "I heard."

"Have you found something?" Robin's hope was practically glowing in his eyes.

"Yes." She was holding a book. "Rumple and Emma are doing it now."

"Doing what?" David didn't like the look in Belle's eyes.

"There's no translated name for it." She walked over to them. "He's melded Emma's consciousness to Marian's. It's been used in to the past to extract spirits from bodies, but it's very risky."

"Risky how?" Mary Margaret shared a worried look with David.

"If Emma can't overcome the problems thrown at her, her mind will decay and all that's left behind can never awaken."

"Why would Emma ever agree to do something that dangerous?" David demanded.

"Do you have to ask?" Belle glanced at Henry. "And there's a new problem."

"What problem?"

"Regina's consciousness has been pulled in as well."

"Are you serious?" Robin felt anger course through him, but he wasn't sure who it was directed at. It wasn't at Belle. He could never be angry with her, so possibly Rumpelstiltskin. "Why? How?"

"Emma's last thoughts were of her, I'm assuming, and that caused the spell to work on Regina as well."

"That's why she woke up for a second," Mary Margaret mumbled. "She was responding to the spell."

"Yes, and it likely caused Regina's body to...relive what happened to her." Belle felt her stomach twist. Their expressions were so hopeful compared to what they were now. She didn't want to crush their hope, but they had to know. "She won't be stable until her mind has found peace."

"If this keeps up, she'll die," Snow whispered.

"That's why Emma needs to hurry, and why I need someone close to Emma. Someone who loves her unconditionally and is willing to...die for her, if it comes to that."

"To do what exactly?" David was going to accept, no matter what. He wasn't going to let his daughter do this alone.

"Be an anchor. This anchor can help Emma, give her guidance and encouragement. Rumple's voice isn't reaching her, because she doesn't trust him enough, doesn't love him like family." Belle then offered the book she'd been holding. "Whoever decides to go will need to read this. There's a marked page that will help you understand it and help you understand what your part is."

David took the book. "If this person goes inside, will they die if Emma fails?"

"No. The person's voice is all that enters. I only said willing to die for her, because to be an anchor you have to have a potent bond. You have to be someone willing to lose it all for her, if need be." She swallowed. "Whoever is going can meet me in the lobby. Don't waste too much time. Every second counts." She walked toward to the stairs, but Robin caught up to her.

"If Emma needs an anchor," he started, "does Regina?"

"I don't know. Rumple sent me here to get one of them for Emma."

"Will it help her at all?"

"To hear someone's voice?" He nodded. "If I were in there all alone, weak and disoriented, it would help me to hear the voice of someone I love, but that's just my opinion."

He nodded and started to back away when she called to him. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about Regina and Roland and Marian." She met his eyes. "I'm doing everything I can to make sure they come out alive."

"And for that I am truly grateful. If there is ever a time you need me, I'll come running."

She smiled, and they parted ways. She waited by the doors, the sun was reflecting off the snow as she gazed outside, the roads clear from Leroy's work. She wasn't waiting long before she heard someone walking over to her, and she turned, a little stunned by who came.

"Take me to her."

She opened her mouth to protest.

"I don't want to hear your arguments. I meet every requirement, so I'm going with you. Every second counts, your words, not mine. Let's not waste another."

"All right then."

_**~r~t~**_

"Are you sure am I who you think I am to her?" Robin asked.

"People can lie, machines—I've heard—can break and lie, results can sometimes lie, but pixie dust never lies." Tinker Bell looked over at him. "She'll be okay. She's strong."

"I know she is, but when I see her like that...fragile and small, I forget." He'd come to see Tinker Bell instead of waiting with the Charmings as they thought over who was going to be Emma's anchor. He couldn't just stand there and be a wallflower. He couldn't stand there and watch the nurses look at him with those pity-filled eyes and murmur their feelings about his missing son and wife and his comatose ex-girlfriend. But even with all of that, seeing Henry was the most painful of all. It reminded him of Roland after the first time he asked about where his mother was. He couldn't sooth Roland then, and he couldn't help Henry now. Or Roland, who was nowhere in town or in the forest, and one place he most likely was, could only be reached by bloody spirits and magic. "There must be something I can do."

"Pick hope over anger."

He looked at her. He'd accumulated so much anger over the past few days, and he had no release, no way to vent. If he broke down, somebody could die. He didn't want that. He just wanted his family back, alive and healthy. He wanted that embodiment to vanish into nothingness, but if even it happened just by him willing it, he would still have this anger, this inner turmoil. "It's all I have." All he had that he was sure was staying.

She laughed.

"What?" He eyed her. "What's so funny?" He could use a laugh, but right now, he felt like he would never laugh again.

"She said that to me once too." Tink smooth the blanket down, resting her hands in her lap. "Regina, I mean."

"She did?"

Tink nodded. "In Neverland, I'd drugged her and dragged her to a cave. I was going to kill her. She gave me her heart and I was going to crush it." She blushed, embarrassed by the look on Robin's face. "It sounds much worse when I say it out loud, doesn't it?"

"So, I'm the first to hear this story? I can see why."

"As you can see, I didn't crush her heart."

"Go on then."

"I asked her why she never went in to meet you that night," she continued. "If being happy was such a terrible fate, and she told me it was. I just stared. I thought I'd be happy to know the truth, to know I was right, that she never went in, but she kept talking. She told me she was afraid and anger was all she had. She thought she would float away without it. She thought she would be weak without it."

Robin shifted in his chair slightly.

"As she spoke, I realized she was right too. I chose anger, and all it got me was isolation. I wasn't any closer to regaining my wings, so I spared her. I chose hope and love, and I'm happy. I'd be happier with wings, but one step at a time."

He almost smiled. "Pick hope over anger?" He could virtually hear her saying that.

Tinker Bell watched his face as he thought.

"Thank you, Tinker Bell." He stood up. "I know what I have to do now."

"Great." She watched him. "Do you mind telling me?"

"I have to go." He headed for the door.

"Robin!"

"Yes?" He paused momentarily.

"Eh, make good choices." He nodded and left. "Don't die!"

Robin hurried out of the building.

"'Don't die'?" she repeated to herself. Of all words to say. She shook her head and lied down. She needed to rest. She was exhausted and her jaw still hurt. Whatever happened next...happened.

_**~e~r~**_

They'd ended up in some strange room with images stuck on the walls and ceiling from both of their lives, Emma started to walked to the right when Regina yanked her to the left toward a picture she wanted to see. This hand holding thing was a better idea in theory. Regina had to be in control even in this place.

"What is this?" Emma looked at it.

"That's...the day I met Daniel." Regina's voice was low.

Emma saw the look in her eyes and remembered what it felt like to lose Neal, so she gave Regina's hand a squeeze. "Oh, is that you?" Emma pointed to the woman in the distance before Regina could tell her not to, and they were sucked through.

They landed hard on their backs, groaning and rolling away from each other, the scene before them had restarted to Cora and Henry talking while Regina sat and had tea inside, still adjusting to her new riding gear.

"Do you ever listen? Don't touch anything!" Regina growled.

"How the hell I was supposed to know we were playing by Mary Poppins' rules?" She groaned and gripped her side. "My mind's gonna feel this for a week."

"Get down!" Regina ducked behind one of the bushes.

Emma just rolled her way over to Regina, not trusting her legs after that fall. She rolled onto her knees and peered over as Henry led a young Regina and a young Daniel. Emma wasn't surprised Regina was attractive as a young adult, but sparkling innocent eyes and French braid made her almost laugh out loud. She would never get this image out of her head.

"It's weird," Emma whispered to Regina, who sent her a glare, "but you remind of me Henry."

Regina almost smiled at that.

"How old were you?"

"Here? I was fifteen. The man who used to teach me how to ride had died, so my mother hired his son to do that as well as tend to the stable."

"Did you know right away that you were going to love him?"

"Did you?" Regina countered.

"I met Neal when I broke into his already-stolen car, and I met Hook when he was doing Cora's bidding."

"Then question answered."

"Well, I think you did. Look at that face. You're blushing."

"What are we doing?" Regina shook her head. "We need to find Marian, not watch each others histories."

Emma watched Daniel helped Regina onto the horse, Henry looked so concerned when she slid, but Daniel caught her and tightened the saddle. Emma saw a look they shared, a brief moment of eye contact, and Emma smiled. She wished she'd gotten to know this Regina.

"You have the attention span of a toothbrush." Regina sighed and stood up.

"I kinda do here." It was so strange how easily distracted she was. "You're right." She climbed to her feet and looked around. "How do we get out of here?"

"Through there."

Emma caught her arm as Regina walked through, either wanting to lose Emma or forgetting they needed to stay together. Emma was blinded by a bright light, and Regina groaned. This time, they landed on their feet, and it wasn't a rough landing. They saw the backs of a group of young girls and two adults. Emma knew what this was and didn't move to go relive it.

Why were they here? What is it? Regina walked toward them and saw what they were looking at. A small blond holding a Mickey Mouse doll was getting into a car with parents. They were adopting her, and as they pulled out, the girls who were smiling and waving went inside, leaving only a woman and an adolescent girl behind.

"There's always next time, Emma," the woman said.

Emma? Regina looked at the young girl who was starting to cry, standing alone then at the woman behind her who was standing alone. They both dropped their heads, only young Emma went inside, and Regina crossed her arms. "You were never adopted?"

"We aren't here to see each others histories," Emma replied. "C'mon, let's just go."

"So, you can ask me about my past, but I can't ask about yours?"

"My past is my past, and I don't want to share it. Besides, I need to help Marian." She was starting to her a repetitive voice in her head, helping her regain her focus. "How do we get to her? There must be something here, some hidden message."

"This is your memory. Is anything out of place?"

"No, I don't think so." She looked around. She'd been trying to forget this past most of her life, but it always seemed to be catching up to her. It caught up to her by the son she had given up finding her, by the parents who given her up for her own good being in the town her son led her to and by a deal that made her find Neal. She'd stopped running after that trip back in time, but she'd never faced her past fully, only enough to forgive her parents and Neal. Maybe it was time. "It all looks the same to me."

"Emma." Regina was looking at the doors to the building beside her.

"What is it?" Emma jogged over to her, blinking when she saw what was there.

Where the doors should've been a picture was. It showed Regina and Emma talking about Archie, about how Emma had seen her kill him. They watched the scene play out, but it stopped right before Emma said Henry was _her_ son and Regina threw Emma to the ground with a blast of magic.

"Do we touch it?" Emma asked.

"We don't have much choice, do we?" Regina held her hand out, eyebrow twitching when Emma took it, and they walked into the picture, but when they fell, they fell into their bodies, only the wrong bodies—Regina was inside Emma, and Emma was inside Regina.

Regina stared at herself, feeling Emma's emotions as her own. She could feel how angry Emma was. She was pissed at herself for ever believing that Regina could change. She was still the same cold, heartless woman who cursed all of these innocent people just because she couldn't get over her first love's death. Archie was dead, and this world had a lost a good man, because of what? Why did Archie have to die? Because of that, Henry was in pain, and that made this so much harder, because she was going to put him in more pain when she told him the entire truth.

Emma blinked, dazed by what happened, but the emotions that burned through her were only making it worse. The emotion was simmering rage, but there was also sadness. It was hard to detect, but Emma focused on it. She knew that feeling. Helplessness. Saying something to somebody, trying to get them to believe you, but it wasn't getting through to them. They have this set image of you, and that image was all they saw when they looked at you. All of your pleas and reasoning flew out the window and that image remained. It was the worse feeling in the world. Trying your very best to change, but the world around you and its people refuse to acknowledge that change. They swept it under the rug and pretend it didn't happen the moment something that _you could've done_ happens. It tempts you to want to revert, because if no one bothers to acknowledge that you changed, how can you?

_**What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?**_

"I know that voice." Regina looked up. "It's here!"

"Regina!" Emma shouted as the room shifted, but they weren't holding hands, so they both disappeared from each others sight, lost in the vast mind of insanity.

_**~e~**_

Emma looked at the blackness around her. She didn't know if it went on and on unending or if it was just a box around her. She didn't like this. She felt better having Regina there. She hated being alone. She could fight anything, but she had no gun, no magic. All she had was a mind that may or may not be strong enough to save Marian. She had hope as well, but she wasn't sure how far that would get her.

_**No sooner spoken than broken.**_

Emma spun around, feeling hot breath on the back of her neck, and she frowned. There was nothing there, of course. The darkness didn't shift, but even with her adjusted eyes, she had no way of knowing if something was there. It could be anywhere, just watching her, waiting.

A light began to shine through the darkness, Emma groaned and covered her eyes immediately, and the white light engulfed her. She could feel warmth beating down on her back, and it felt safe. She didn't know how she felt safe or why, but it was relaxing. She kept her guard up though, slowly lowering her hands, and she saw herself. She was seven, but this place wasn't where she was at seven. She didn't have to remember that age to know this wasn't where she was.

_What the hell is going on?_ Emma looked around the bedroom she'd seen with her mother after going through the Mad Hatter's hat.

This Emm_**a**_ wore a beautiful blue gown, he_**r**_ hair pulled up with small crystals, and_** s**_he wore white slippers. Sh_**e**_ was smiling, playing with butterflies that came in through her window. Sh_**e **_giggled as one landed on her nose, but at the sound, it flew away.

"Emma?" David peered into he_r_ room, smiling at he_**r.**_ He looked almost too bright in his light gold-colored shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes and matching pants. Well, they were just a tone darker. He had a sword on his belt, but she got the feeling it was just to be there. There were no threats by the air he gave off. "There you are." He walked in. "I've been calling for you."

"Sorry, Daddy." Sh_**e**_ smiled.

"Well, how I can I stay mad at that face?" He tapped he_**r**_ nose with his finger. "Grandma's downstairs."

"Yay!"

"Remember what we talked about," David said sternly.

"Don't ask for anything and give her a big hug."

"That's my girl. C'mon."

Emma followed her younge_**r**_ sel_**f**_ and David. Grandma Ava? Ava's alive? Emma hurried down the stairs before them to see Ava, excited to see what she looked like, but as she neared the room, the voice didn't seem right. She stopped as Mary—Snow and "Grandma" entered the room.

Snow looked so beautiful. Resting in Snow White's long, black hair that was in two braids with white pearls imbedded into them was a small, silver crown, her pale pink gown that had embroidered snow bells accentuated her features, and the smile she wore was the looked better than the dangling diamond earrings she had in. She was talking in whispers with the woman who Emma assumed was Grandmother, but her face was blocked by a black veil that was attached to a hat. The hat was strange to Emma. The woman wore a form-fitting, silky silver gown with embroidered colorless jewels along the waistline, and along the sleeves were embroidered leaves. The hat didn't match the rest of it.

"Sorry, we're late." David was holding Emm_**a**_'s hand.

Snow shook her head. "You're right on time. We're about to have tea in the garden."

"And hot chocolate for little princess," the faceless woman said to Emm_**a.**_

Emm_**a**_ smiled and nodded.

They went out to the garden, David scooped Emm_**a**_ up and set he_**r**_ down in a cushioned chair that looked made for her by Marko—er, Geppetto then David took the seat beside Snow, kissing her softly as he sat down, and woman who's face was covered had her chair pulled out for her by a servant like Snow's had been, only this servant took the hat after she removed it. Black hair with a gold crown was reveal as Emma walked around the table to see who it was, and those deep brown eyes laughed as Snow spoke about something, and Emma saw that twisted gold ring on her finger and the tree necklace resting against her neck. Grandma was Regina.

"I'm glad you could join us." David smiled at the servant as they filled their cups and gave Emm_**a**_ h_e__**r **_own cup of hot chocolate.

"As am I." She removed the white gloves she was wearing and picked up the teacup.

"Emma's birthday is in two days." Snow rested her hands in her lap. "Do you have time? I know the people wanted you there for the annual celebration of Maleficence's defeat, but we'd really love if you came."

"You know how they are," Regina replied, "so demanding. A Queen's work is never done."

"You're lying," Emm_**a**_ stated.

"Emma!" Snow scolded. "We talked about this. I'm so sorry, Regina."

"No, it's all right. I was lying."

Snow frowned. "Why? What's wrong?"

"My father is sick," Regina confessed. "I was going to meet with the Blue Fairy. I want to know if there's anything I can do."

"I'm so sorry." Snow set her hand on Regina's. "I'll go with you. You don't have to do this alone."

Regina smiled, narrowing her eyes. "I thought I was your mother."

"Ooh, this is creepy." Emma shuddered.

Snow laughed. "You are, but I'm doing my part as a daughter and as a friend to be by your side."

"Then thank you, Snow." Regina squeezed her hand. "I appreciate it."

"We'll have to go as soon as possible," Snow added. "Tonight, if you can."

"That would be good."

"I'll be putting Emma to bed then?" David laced his fingers together.

"It seems so." Snow turned to Emm_**a**_.

"I understand," Emm_**a **_said before Snow could speak.

"Thank you."

"That reminds me." Regina turned in her chair to face Emm_**a**_ and held out her hand, a purple cloud surrounded her palm and as it blew away, a swan necklace was revealed. "Here you are, my dear. Your favorite bird."

Emm_**a**_ hugged her. "Thank you!"

"What the hell?" Emma verbalized. "Why am I watching this?" It was more terrifying than a horror film. They were so happy and smiley. She liked the idea behind it, but she would never call Regina "grandma". That was both insulting and disturbing. It made her skin scrawl. Her teeth actually shuddered with her.

Emm_**a**_ looked at Emma. "It could've happened."

"Oh, great, the child can hear me. Been watching many horror films since coming to my world?"

"Oh, a hero with sharp tongue. You always _never_ see that."

Emma crossed her arms. "So, are you it, kid?"

"I'm you. The you you never got to be."

Emma looked herself over. "I have to say: I like this me better."

"I have to say: I like this me better."

"What is that?" She nodded her chin toward the scene behind them.

"What could've been. If Regina hadn't slaughtered all those people before having Rumpelstiltskin change her appearance to try and rally the people against Snow White. Perhaps a bit overdone, though." Sh_**e**_ walked over to Emma. "Swan? After the key chain Neal gave you? And you were running from that past? You weren't doing a good job, Ms. Swan."

"I want to speak to Marian," Emma demanded. "Stop playing game."

"But I like games." The chil_**d**_ smiled. "The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it."

"Fine. If _you _want to play riddles, _you_ can play riddles. _I'm_ going to find Marian and Regina and get the hell out of here." Emma stormed off towards the garden.

"You won't find her there," Emm_**a**_ called after her. "You won't find anything there!"

Emma stopped, hearing a voice, and she looked around. "Who is that?"

"Oh, great." Emm_**a**_ crossed her arms. "An anchor."

"Regina? Marian?" Emma called. "Is that you?"

"Or she's too stupid to figure that out," Emm_**a**_ murmured.

"Who—?"

_**Stop**_, the sexless voice said. _**Emma, stop walking! You need to stop!**_

Emma covered her ears and groaned, the sound piercing her ears, and suddenly, the palace and it had disappeared. Emma was standing alone in a room, and she heard the voice softly call to her. She turned and saw who it belonged to.

"Emma." The happiest smile she'd ever seen appeared on his face.

"No." Emma was breathless. "No!"

_**~r~**_

Regina was on the ground in a dark room, so she pushed herself up, feeling her body aching. Her body felt like this during the attack. She gripped her head as a sharp pain shot through her skull. She could still feel the blood on her skin, the flesh peeling back from her face as wind and shattering glass filled the air. She could still hear those words, those mocking words, laughing in her ear.

_The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it._

"Regina?"

She looked up, seeing Mary Margaret in front of her, but it wasn't Mary Margaret. It was just the memory of her. Regina looked at the walls as every time Snow found her unconscious played then once they ended, they showed how Regina had killed someone Snow loved or her loyal subjects she cared for. It was like a homemade movie from hell.

It kept playing, and there was nowhere she could look without seeing Snow caring for her and Regina killing somebody Snow loved, even indirectly. Snow's worry-filled eyes as she looked over Regina, thinking this was the time she was dead, and the relief that replace the worry when Regina woke, even as Wilma.

Regina looked at herself, seeing the anger and hate and pain in her eyes that only Regina could recognize. She'd been hurting so much after Daniel. He was the only one made it all worthwhile. She loved her father, but Daniel was the only one who challenged her opinion, who didn't just agree to make her happy. He wasn't afraid to make Regina angry with him, to make her glare or even cry—not that he did. He accepted all of her: the good and the bad. She wasn't sure if he could take all of the bad this time. She'd done so much damage, and blaming Snow was no way to heal. If Daniel was alive and here, seeing all of this, he wouldn't want her. He didn't like Cora or how Cora treated Regina, and Regina was the spitting image of Cora in those moments.

Regina wouldn't turn back the clock to change any of it, but there were thing she could do now that could begin to make up for the evil she'd done. Being a hero didn't make up for killing masses of people or taking hearts and forcing people to do her bidding. She couldn't just wave her hand and erase their past—she tried, and it didn't work—because magic comes with a price. The hole that only Henry could fill that led to Emma that led to losing Daniel again and her mother and to all of it. The only good that came out of that curse were Henry and Robin. For them, she would do it all over.

"I had such plans for you," a voice said from the dark corner of the room. "I was going to drive you _insane_ with these images, but it seems you've changed too."

Regina narrowed her eyes to try and see who it was. "Yes, I have."

"You're little rehab worked. You're "good" now."

"I'm not good," Regina corrected. "I'm trying to be. I have a lot to atone for, and I'm not going to forget that because some bitch wants to play mind games."

"Heros fight bad guys only, right?" Marian stepped out of the shadows. "How do you intend to fight me?"

"Fight you?" Regina stood up. "I'm not here to fight you."

"Well, I am." She met Regina's eyes. "You won't have them. I refuse. You aren't worthy of anyone's love, least of all my child's or—"

"Marian, I know what a child's love means to a mother. Sharing it with another woman who he wants to call "Mom" and spend all of his time with just to get away from you is one of the most—" Regina cut off, the walls changed to Henry dead on a hospital bed and lying on the floor of the Skull Cave, heartless.

"You caused this," Marian informed her. "What mother does this?"

One of flickered to Henry trapped in a mine, another flickered to Henry being taken by Greg and Tamara then of Henry lying in her vault and one of Zelena about to kill Henry. Every almost fatal event with Henry flickered on the walls.

Regina stared with widening eyes. "He—he wasn't supposed to eat that. Emma was." She tried to look away, but she saw Henry with a burned arm, suffering from the fallout of eating the poison apple turnover. She turned again and saw Henry lying in her vault. The more she turned, the more of Henry injured or lying lifeless she saw. She couldn't escape.

"I found my _real mom_!"

"She's _evil!"_

"My _birth mom _didn't love me. _Regina_ says she does, but she _doesn't."_

"She _doesn't love _me. She only_ pretends to_."

"You don't know what it's like with _her_! _My life sucks_!"

"I'm_ your mother_." "No, _you're not_!"

"You're the _Evil Queen_!"

"You're _a villain_!"

"You said you wanted _to change_, to _b__e__ better_!"

It watched through Marian's eyes as Regina's mind slowly started to break at sight of Henry and at his hate- and anger-filled words. It began to laughed manically then threw its arms up and spun around, letting Henry's words wrap around it, and then came Regina's scream. It danced to the sound of beautiful screaming. She was getting close.

It watched her, dancing and laughing. Regina was curled up on the floor, trying to cover her ears, but it was playing in her mind—Henry's voice, the laughs—and the tears that filled her eyes made it all so sweet.

"_**You still owe me that dinner."**_

"What the...?" It stopped instantly.

Regina's whimpers lessened at the sound of that voice.

"_**It's bad manners, milady, to lead a man on."**_

"How is this happening?" Regina and it asked.

"_**Once upon a time there was a Queen."**_

"Who...?"

"_**She was horribly misunderstood. Throughout her life, she'd met challenges, but she didn't always face them the right way. Then one day, none of that matter, because she found a curse that took her to a land far, far away, and even though she had everything anyone could ever want, she felt empty. There was hole in her heart."**_

"Hen—Henry?" Regina lowered her hands.

"_**So, she searched the land for a little boy to be her prince, and then...she found him."**_ It _was_ Henry. _**"They lived, but it wasn't happily. They were problems as the prince grew older and the reveal of his adoption only made it worse. The Queen despaired as the prince called her awful things, did awful things, because while he had been right about her past, he wrong about the Queen with him now. She traveled and searched for the boy when he was lost and stopped at nothing to get him back, because of much she loved him. And when the little prince found that out, it was too late."**_

The happy tears that formed in her eyes made it _seethe._

"_**The Queen had to leave her prince and never see him again to save countless lives. Then a year later someone very wicked brought them back together. However when the Queen and prince parted ways, she had taken his memories, so even though the Queen's love and memories of the prince remained, his didn't." **_There was a pause. **_"The brave Queen did everything in her power to try and protect the prince, even risking her own life, but the prince still didn't remember. Then the prince did remember, he remembered all of it, but the Wicked Witch cursed him to slowly die while the Queen watched helplessly. What the Witch didn't know was how deep the Queen's love was for her little prince, so while tending to the dying prince, the Queen made a promise with love so pure and so true it healed the him. True love's kiss broke the Wicked Witch's curse, and the little prince woke up."_**

Regina smiled softly.

"_**The changed Queen used her light magic to not only defeat the Wicked Witch, but save countless lives yet again. And while that ending was happy, darkness was stirring and waiting for the Queen, and the end of this particular story hasn't been written, but little prince had faith in her. He always would, because their family always found their way back to each other."**_

"_**We're still waiting for you, Regina." **_

"_**Don't listen to anything it tells you."**_

"_**What should I say? I've been told I'm not good with this sort of thing."**_

"_**Come home, Regina. We miss you."**_

The room melted away, all of the images draining out of sight, and it was quiet. Then Regina heard whimpering and soft crying, and she stood up. The room had pale trees shifting on the walls, and a woman curled up, rocking herself. She wore a purple clock with a dirty brown dress, her brown hair messy.

Marian Hood look up at Regina.


	17. Revelations

"Concentrate," Rumple told the anchor. "You need to focus, otherwise you'll just hurt her."

"I'm trying. If you'd shut up, maybe I'd be doing better."

Rumpelstiltskin looked at Belle. "Did I do something to piss you off today?" Why did she have to bring Henry?

Belle giggled. "He wanted to be the one. It won't matter. David's on his way by now."

"I'm sorry." Henry sighed. "I'm not giving up."

"Then try harder."

"You can do this, Henry." Belle lowered herself onto her knees beside him. "You don't have to read hundreds of books to know that magic is about emotion. You have to focus on why you're doing this and block the rest of it out."

"I'm doing this to help my moms. I don't want anything to happen to them."

"You need to channel that, really feel it." He nodded. "That's magic, Henry. Let Rumple help you. Trust me, okay?"

"Okay."

She smiled, but before she could finish, David's voice shouted toward them. Rumpelstiltskin was glad. He didn't like the idea of Henry straining himself to try and help Emma. He was too young, and no matter how much he believed, he wasn't focusing. He was just tiring himself and leading Emma to her death.

"Henry!" David stopped beside Belle. "What are you doing?"

"I—I just wanted to help."

"He's just a kid. What were you thinking?" David glared at Rumple.

"It wasn't my decision. Belle brought the boy. Perhaps you should keep a closer eye on him."

"David, I came, because I wanted to help." Henry stood up. "I'm not sorry."

"I understand you wanting to help, but this isn't a game, Henry."

"And I'm not a kid," Henry retorted. "I can make my own decisions. I wanted to help, and you were arguing with Grandma. I had a chance to help, so I took it."

"And I'm proud of you for it, but let us handle this."

He sighed. "All right."

"Belle, could you give him a ride back to the hospital, please?"

"Of course."

David watched them leave then turned to Rumpelstiltskin. "All right, I know what to do, so let's just do this."

"Have a seat. You'll be here awhile."

_**~h~mm~**_

Mary Margaret rubbed her arms, watching Neal as slept, and she saw movement. It was Henry. She smiled, relieved he was all right, and she hugged him. He exhaled, and it was a disappointed sound, but he was glad his mom was stable and still alive.

He went into her room. He didn't want to sit here and read to her. He wanted to do something, but he didn't know what he could for her. He remembered her Christmas party, and how she was planning it before all of this happened. He could finish planning it, and it could be a celebration for getting better. She would wake up, and he wanted to celebrate that.

Mary Margaret opened the door to ask him if he wanted to talk, and he cut her off, asking, "Hey, Grandma, do you have a pen? And a notepad?"

"I can get them. Hold on." She asked the nurse for a notepad and pen, and since she knew Mary Margaret from her volunteer work, she let her have a notepad and a pen. Snow took them to Henry and wondered what he wanted it for.

"Thanks." He sat flipped to a page and wrote_ items needed _on the top of the page. "Mom and I were planning on having a Christmas party for the first time this year," he explained to Mary Margaret.

"Yeah?"

"I want to continue planning the party, but for her, not Christmas."

"That's a lovely idea." She moved into the chair beside him. "What all do you have in mind?"

"Ruby and Granny can cook," he suggested.

"Emma could make...tacos?" Henry laughed a little. "We can make some apple dumplings just for her."

He nodded. "We'll have to...fix up the house first."

She opened her mouth to protest.

"I don't want her to go home to a trashed house," Henry argued. "Or have to go to Granny's. Please, Grandma, she should be comfortable."

"Would she be comfortable?" Mary Margaret crossed her arms. "She was brutally attacked there. I can't speak for Regina, but I wouldn't feel safe. How about you?"

He bit his lip. "She'll have a hard time adjusting, especially if I'm going to be with Mom, unpacking."

"Hang on. Don't you guys have an extra bedroom?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Regina could stay with you and Emma." She tapped his shoulder with her hand as ideas poured into her head. "We'll get her clothes and some sheets and blankets to make her feel at home. We can even have the party there."

"Yeah, that's great! She won't be alone, and I'll be right there if she needs anything."

"We'll still need to get into Regina's house to get those things. Emma has it locked with magic."

"Well, we could just get her room set up at our house," Henry decided. "Our stuff is in a truck outside the house. We just need another bed."

"Regina's not going anywhere," Mary Margaret told him, "I say we go and prepare her room. Ruby and Hook can help."

"Should we leave her alone?" Henry wanted to make her feel home when she woke up, but if anything else happened, he wanted to be here. He didn't want her to wake up all alone or feel that nobody cared for her. It wasn't true. She wasn't alone; she was loved.

"Don't worry." Robin stepped into the room. "I'll call if anything happens. Good or ill."

Henry still didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay and help her, but there was nothing he could do here. He could help her by making sure she felt comfortable and safe when she woke up. David and Emma and Regina were doing this best to stop this _thing,_ and he had to do this best to handle the aftermath. Regina would need help once she got out of the hospital, no matter how strong she was, because her injuries were severe.

"All right." Mary Margaret stood up. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

Robin nodded. "We'll be fine."

"Please, call if anything changes." Henry grabbed his jacket.

"You'll be the first," he assured Henry. "She's in good hands here."

Henry hesitated, but he let his grandmother guide him out of the room and to the car. She called Ruby for help since Ruby was dead set on feeding them, and they met her at the house. Henry had the only other key, so they found a small group of people outside. It seemed they weren't the only ones worried about Emma and Regina. They all needed something to do, even if the weather wanted them to stay inside.

Mary Margaret laid out mats for them to wipe their shoes on so they wouldn't drag mug and snow into the new, clean house, Henry came up with a system for getting the boxes, and they all helped out. He was glad he could do something productive, and he was really grateful for all of the help. He kept his phone close, but as each second became a minute became half on hour became an hour, he found himself loosening up a little. He trusted Dr. Whale and his moms. Everyone here was fighter, and they were all fighting together not to let this enemy win. With all of them united, he knew they would.

_**~r~m~**_

Regina looked down at Marian. She looked exhausted and weak and ashen, very like Regina herself looked like now. She wondered how long Marian had been fighting. She was impressed by her strength. Most people would be reduced to puddles of nothingness. Marian was strong, and Regina knew it was because of Roland. She was strong for her little boy. She wasn't going to abandon him or let anything take her away from him again. Love was a powerful thing.

"So it's you?" Marian sniffed. "You did this to me?"

"No." Regina lowered herself down in front of Marian, taking a cloth handkerchief from her sleeve, and she tried to wipe the moisture on Marian's brow, but Marian slapped her hand away.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe you?"

"No, I don't." Regina glanced at the handkerchief, folding it before meeting Marian's eyes. "I don't know if you're the real Marian or even capable of having your own opinions, but I have changed. I know that doesn't make up for what I've done, but I've done my best. And I'll continue to do my best."

Marian searched Regina's dark eyes. Once there had been a scorching hate swirling around, just as deathly as her fireballs, but now all that lingered in those dark eyes were concern, empathy and hope, even. This wasn't the Queen who threw her in a dungeon for not telling her the whereabouts of Snow White. Marian wasn't sure who this woman was, but she knew she didn't have to be afraid. She didn't trust this woman, not for a second, but she didn't have to be afraid of her either.

"I need your help," Regina admitted. "You know this _thing _better than anybody, so—"

"I do not know of any weakness," Marian informed her. "Nor do I know how it does what it does. I've been here."

"All this time?"

"I've tried running," she confessed, "but the other rooms—what I've seen—" Her voice broke and she exhaled shakily. "It's...frightful."

"What have you seen?"

Marian reached out a shaky hand, Regina frowned and was about to ask when Marian's long fingers wrapped around her wrist, and the light engulfed them. The shifting trees, the whimpers and sobs—all of it was stripped away as Regina and Marian landed in the middle of the Enchanted Forest, witnessing the power of insanity. It was truly a fearsome thing to behold.

_**~e~**_

Emma could hear her father's voice, and she knew what she needed to do, but everything was wrong. The walls distorted images of what was and could've been, but David's voice was clearing a path. Emma could almost see him his voice was so clear. But of course it couldn't be that easy. It went wrong, and the world went black. Emma could hear her father's voice no more, and suddenly an image appeared before her. Emma noticed she no longer had the body of a child. She was a grown woman again, though she wore a jet-black ball gown with her hair braided back; it was off her neck, and she could feel the tug of the braids on her scalp.

The blackness began to swirl around, the image becoming a blur, and Emma felt faint. She tried to be strong, hold her ground and focus on her mission, but as she did, things began to...vanish. Like gold dust gathered up by soft wind, her reasons for coming here turned to ashes and blew away. She couldn't remember who she had come in here for, who may been in here with her now.

She blacked out.

Emma woke with an strong urge to go. Where, she wasn't entirely sure. All she knew was she had **somewhere** to be.

Suddenly the darkness around her dissipated, Emma walked through the light that appeared in front of her, almost like a doorway. Gathering her skirt, she hurried toward the building in front of her. She pushed open the door and found her family inside, dressed in similar attire, only they weren't in the Enchanted Forest. It was a party. A Halloween party. It was the last one they'd have just the nine of them. Henry was excited to have a new addition to the family, and Mary Margaret was so thrilled she arranged almost everything.

"You're late," Henry told her. "You forgot to bring the caramel corn too."

"Sorry. I—I don't know what kept me, but I'm here now." She looked at her parents. "Is she here yet?"

"Not yet." Mary Margaret looked nervous. "What if she doesn't show?"

"Then we'll hunt her down," David replied. "You've spent weeks planning this, and I'll be damned if she doesn't come. It's for her, after all. It certainly isn't conventional."

"Roland and I are going inside," Henry said, the boy tugging on his sleeve.

"I'll go with them." David turned the stroller and followed the boys into the room where the party was set up.

"Do you think she'd want a Halloween-themed baby shower?" Emma asked. "It's well-done, don't get me wrong, but her tastes are...different."

"Well, it was Henry's idea. If she doesn't like it, we can tell her that."

Emma shook her head. "My son isn't your scapegoat."

"It was just a suggestion," she replied. "I wouldn't do that."

"Uh-huh."

"Not right away anyhow." She crossed her arms. "So, when will we be doing this for you?"

"Doing what? Using Henry as a scapegoat?" She mirrored her mother by crossing her arms. "Or—"

"Or I mean you and Killian," Mary Margaret finished. "It's been almost two years. You were going to marry Walsh after just one year."

"And look how that turned out."

"He's not a flying money."

"And it's not the eighteenth century. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, so stop pushing."

"I'm not pushing."

"Yes, you are."

"Just a little."

Emma smirked. "I'm going to check on the cupcakes. Text me if she comes." She went inside and over to the table with the tower of cupcakes. It was in the shape of their castle with purple icing. Regina really liked cupcakes for some reason lately, and Henry was interested in the Enchanted Forest, so it gave him a project. Mary Margaret and Granny cooked the cupcakes and made the icing. Ruby made finger sandwiches, and Emma bought the plates and napkins. They were cute enough. She hoped Regina liked them.

"Hey." Ruby weaved through Henry and Roland and Neal, going over to Emma with a disk. "Here."

"Did you run all the way down here?" Emma dug a bottle of water out of the cooler and handed it to her, taking the disk.

"I needed the exercise." She drained the bottle.

"What is this?" Emma opened the case and looked over the blank disk.

Ruby caught her breath. "It's the heartbeat." She tossed the bottle in the trash. "It's a visual of the little tyke too. It was Whale's idea."

"Thanks. Did you bring tissues too? Mom always cries when she watches these."

"Whale's bringing them."

"Oh, Whale, huh?"

She smiled. "Yes, Whale." She turned her head. "Regina's here."

"Oh, crap. Here, take this to Henry." She handed her the disk and ran out of the room. "She's here!" She told Mary Margaret as she hurried to the front doors, hearing her father behind her.

"She's here!" Mary Margaret told the people in the room. "Henry, watch your brother. I'll be right back."

Henry looked down at Roland and handed him his phone. "Here, amuse yourself." He walked over to the doorway and peered over, seeing his moms and grandparents and stepfather. Emma and Mary Margaret were talking to Regina while David spoke to Robin. He couldn't read lips, but he figured they were going to get them to do something. He wasn't sure though.

Emma waved him over, and he joined them, giving his mom a hug, minding her stomach, and Emma rested her hands on his shoulders. She was really happy at how everything turned out. They were all together and finally were a family. They had to a schedule for Henry, and it worked. Once the baby was born, Emma had a feeling Henry would want to be over there even more. Henry was surprisingly good with babies, just like his grandmother, and he wanted to help Regina out. Being Mayor and having a newborn didn't mix all the time, so he wanted to help whenever he could.

On days full of laughter and family like today, Emma didn't want to be anywhere else.

_**~d~r~**_

"What's happening?" David asked, seeing Rumpelstiltskin's eyes narrowed to slits.

"We have a problem." He met David's eyes. "It would appear it has focused itself fully on Emma. It's trapped her in...a dream that sees to either her a perfect view of life or one close to it. She's content there, heavily enthralled."

"Why is it focusing on Emma?"

"It wants to make her its permanent vessel." Rumple cursed. "It must have known I would do this, and now it's lowing Emma's will, gradually taking her over as she starts to believe whatever it's showing her."

"What? How do we stop it?" David demanded.

"We can't." His eyes flashed. "It's more powerful than I thought. It's blinded Emma with lies, and the only way for her to see the truth is by something happening that's so implausible or by someone acting in a way that they never would, allowing her to see things as they truly are."

"Emma will figure this out. She'll be able to see through the lies."

"We all believe what we want to." He held a hand up to silence David. "But we may be able to use this to our advantage."

"How?"

"While it is focused fully on Emma, Regina may be able to reach Marian and overcome whatever chains bind her."

"And if Regina can't?" David looked over his daughter. "What if Regina's too weak?"

"Regina's body may be broken, but I've no doubt her mind is strong. If there's a way for her to destroy this insanity, she won't hesitate. She'll do anything to get back to Henry or ensure Emma gets back to Henry. She wouldn't leave him by himself."

"I know that, but it's been nearly two days. They have to be weakening."

"So is it."

David frowned at the color of Emma's skin. It had gotten paler since he first arrived, her hand was still warm in his, nevertheless concern was pouring out of him. His daughter was strong, and he had endless faith in her, but Rumple looked like he was holding something back, and it unsettled David. He wouldn't lose Emma, no matter what. He wasn't going to lose either of them.

"We need to see Regina," Rumple muttered. "Emma's in deep, so moving her body now shouldn't effect her."

"Shouldn't? That's not a positive sounding shouldn't."

"Would you rather I leave and have something happen to Emma that only magic can stop or delay?"

He sighed. "Fine."

"The candles must remain lit."

"I'll get Emma, and you can get the candles." He opened the car door then gently picked Emma up off the ground, hearing a soft exhale pass through her lips, and he stopped for a moment, watching, but Emma seemed all right. He set her in the backseat, carefully bending her legs so he could close the door as Rumple tossed the blankets into the trunk and gathered the candles.

"You'll have to drive," Rumple told David as he adjusted the candles.

"All right." He grabbed the keys and started the car. He looked back at Emma before he backed out and drove toward the hospital.

_**~d~r~r~**_

Ruby, who had been talking with Dr. Whale in the lobby, helped Rumple carry up the candles, opening doors for David as he pushed Emma to Regina's room. They found only Robin in Regina's room, and he opened the door for them, looking with concern as David wheeled the gurney with Emma on it into the room.

"What happened?" Robin looked from Emma to David to Rumple and the candles.

"Insanity is focusing on Emma," Rumple placed the candles on the table beside Emma, "so Regina may have a chance to free both Marian and Emma and defeat insanity."

"Why does it not seem as simple as that?" He crossed his arms.

"Nothing ever is." Ruby looked over Regina. "How's she doing?"

"Better." He took his seat.

"What's that?" David noticed something worn and red in Regina's hand.

"A pouch of herbs," he replied. "Protective and healing herbs. I gathered what little I could find and ran into Belle. She had more at the shop, and she helped me to make this for Regina. It seems to be helping."

Rumpelstiltskin smiled softly at that. Brilliant as ever, she was. "Yes, it should be helping. It likely has cleared the fog from having her soul being ripped out of her body and may possibly allow her to hear our voices. Briefly, but whatever was spoken may have helped her."

"Why didn't you suggest this before?" David slid a chair by Emma's bed.

"Why don't you write in my planner for next time?" He set a hand on Regina's forehead, closing his eyes, but even with all of its energy focused on Emma, it still had some a hold on Regina, making it impossible for anyone to get through to her again. "Damn it."

"What now?"

"It had blocked off Regina's mind again. No one will be able to reach her, and using magic on either of them is far too dangerous. We have no choice but to wait."

"Or you can help Henry and Mary Margaret," Ruby suggested. "They're unpacking boxes at Emma's, trying to make a room for Regina for when she wakes. I came to see if anyone else could lend a hand."

"I should call them." David dug his phone out of his pocket, but saw it was dead. He scoffed and went to find a phone to use, and Ruby left with him.

"What are the chances of them waking after all this time?" Robin asked Rumpelstiltskin.

"Slim, but Regina and Emma have always done well with slim chances."

"And what of my son?"

"He's trapped as long as they are."

He exhaled deeply, closing his hands around Regina's, squeezing the pouch tightly. _Come home soon, Regina, please. Save them, and save yourself._

_**~m~r~**_

"Enough." Regina turned around. "Reveal yourself! No more games!"

"Stop!" Marian told Regina. "You'll angry it!"

"Well, it's pissed me off, so I think it's only fair I return the favor." She walked around the small area she and Marian were trapped in. "Whatever your plan, you will not succeed! I will not submit!"

Marian swallowed hard.

"I will not be ignored!" She looked around for anything that movement, but there was nothing. "You don't scare me! Nothing you show me can make me fear you!"

There was nothing still. It was almost as if it had left them by for the time. Regina wondered why. Why leave two people alone who may find a way out of this hellhole? The only reason was it wanted Emma as a new vessel. She had power in her blood, powerful light magic, and she may be able to take in its energy and convert it into magic. It would be invincible, most likely able to stop Emma from ever growing old and weak. It would be an even bigger bitch then.

She crossed her arms. "I have an idea, but you're not going to like it."

"When I _like_ your plans, I shall worry." She turned to Regina. "What plan do you have?"

"You're the only thing keep it...contained." She looked at Marian. "If you were...to be killed or your life threatened, I believe it would show itself to protect you, to protect itself."

Marian stepped back. "And if you're wrong? I will not die for your if."

"It's not an if. I do believe it would show itself. Essences or not, it still wants to live. That's why it jumped into you and is trying to weaken Emma's will to take her over."

"What?"

"Self-preservation," Regina explained. "It'll do anything to ensure your survival, because your life is tied to its life."

"I don't know if it's because I've been in here too long, but you're making sense." She met Regina's eyes. "What do we do?"

"We try to locate your body. Your physical body. It has to be in here somewhere."

"Come again?"

"It's an entity, so it has no form, no real mind of its own, therefore we are in our world as well as its." She sat down. "If we focus, we might be able to find a door, of a sort."

Marian lowered herself down in front of Regina. After the hours of what they had endured, she trusted Regina to get them out of there, but that was all. She still waited for the Evil Queen to come out and betray her, or kill her, or simply just save herself. "A door?"

"Yes." She crossed her legs and closed her eyes. "I have every intentions of seeing my son again, and I assure you, you will see yours as well."

"And my Robin?" Marian asked softly.

Regina opened her eyes. "...Robin..."

"I've seen the way he looks at you, and even if the insanity had control of my body and my actions, I was **still** there. I've never seen that look in his eyes before." She smiled sadly. "He must truly love you."

"M—"

"I know you haven't used any magic on him," Marian interrupted her. "I doubt any man with eyes could look and not want you, but I see something more than just attraction in Robin's eyes when he looks at you or when someone mentions you." She shook her head. "I find it so... strange. I look at the man I've loved all of my life, it seems, and he looks back at me, and I feel—I feel as though he sees an old friend. My pain and jealousy has fueled this **thing**, and knowing that my emotions may have put my child in danger—" her voice broke.

"I've put my son in danger," Regina confessed. "I would rather blame Emma, but in truth, sometimes...it was me. I... Well, the crux of the matter is: I don't like to share. My jealousy drove me to resort to means that put my son in danger in the end, and even though I wanted rid of Ms. Swan, I knew I had to...accept her presence in Henry's life. She gave birth to him, and I raised him, but we are both his mother. Nothing will ever change that."

"I don't understand."

"Henry is strong by nature. He believes in me and in Emma, and we've never failed him. Roland, although he is young, is a clever boy, very like his father. I've no doubt he's alive and well. If this thing intends to take over Emma, it may use Roland as leverage. Roland will have to be alive and in good health, although obviously Emma can't resist helping an innocent."

She slowly nodded, feeling a little relief. "I...see. What now?"

"I need to mediate. I need silence." She closed her eyes and focused, searching for a point where this realm was thin. It might not be much, but she was confident it would lead her somewhere useful. Perhaps it would lead to Emma, perhaps to a tear, but wherever it led her, she would need more than just words. She would need magic, and even though she wasn't in her physical body, she still was innately magical. All she had to do was find a point weak enough for her to connect with her body just long enough to tap into that magic. When she did, there wouldn't be enough to fit into a matchbox, let alone an amulet.


	18. We're Stronger Together

Emma laughed deeply, covering her mouth with her hand, as her family laughed around her. It was really a great celebration: fine food, fine drinks, and fine company. She couldn't have asked for anything better. She wondered how anyone could ever be this contented. She'd never felt like this in her entire life. Perhaps by accepting who she was and where her true home was, she'd opened herself up to a joy that only one this open could have.

"I told you not to tell that story, mate." Hook glared lightly toward David.

"You told me a lot of things that night," David replied, "and none of them made any sense. You'd think being a pirate and always drinking in the tales, you'd have a higher tolerance for alcohol."

"Why don't we test that? I'll drink a pint for every half-pint you drink, eh, mate?"

"Another time," Mary Margaret said before David could decline or accept the offer. "There's only wine tonight, no rum."

"And on that note, I would like to make a toast." David rose, holding his wine glass up. "I am grateful for all of you to be in my life. For my beautiful wife and daughter, for my healthy and happy son and grandson, and for dear friends, Killian, and Robin and Regina and their beautiful baby girl. All of you have saved someone who I love dearly, and I have no words to express how thankful I am to you all. I can only hope nothing changes in the future, and that we never meet a challenge we cannot overcome."

Mary Margaret smiled at him, setting a hand over her daughter's with her free hand. "Thank you, Emma."

"For what?" Emma looked away from her father.

"For being here. I don't know what I'd do if you ever left."

She returned her mother's smile. "Don't worry; I'm here to stay."

"I know."

"To family," David cheered.

"Family!"

"So, who's hosting Christmas?" Regina asked, leaning over the bassinet where her daughter lay sleeping just inside.

"Seriously, the cleanup is murder," Robin agreed.

Henry laughed. "At least I'll be here to help."

"Yes, help." Regina crossed her legs. "Mary Margaret, are you staying to actually help me?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Hey, I was gonna help," Henry protested.

"The last time you "helped", I was left alone with a mess of dishes while you, Roland and Robin were outside practicing with the crossbow you'd gotten that year for Christmas. And the year before that, you and David were sword-fighting in the front yard."

"What happened to it's the thought that counts?" He took a drink of soda.

She smirked. "Could you at least put the extra food away before you three disappear on me?"

"I'll stay," Emma offered. "I don't like to drive after a big meal. I get sleepy."

"All right." She smiled. "I appreciate it."

"Well, since we don't have to find each other, the least I can do is put away the green bean casserole."

They laughed, and David began to tell another embarrassing story, but this was about Robin, not Killian. With no trouble in town, they had a lot more time to do some pretty stupid stuff, but mostly when they were drunk. Goodness, the stories they had to tell!

_**~r~m~**_

"I...feel...sick." Marian couldn't keep focusing any longer. "My head—I cannot hold on much longer." It was like someone was stabbing her in the head. She had never had a harder time concentrating in her life. It was as if this insanity was stopping her. She felt so queasy.

"Wait." Regina saw something in this distance. "What is that?"

Marian felt like she was slipping, and not just her focus. It was her life. She felt so weak, so light-headed. It was making her vision blur. Perhaps it was the insanity growing weaker as well. She could only hope.

"I think—I see a tear." Regina climbed to her feet, stumbling a bit, her body so heavy. She had to walk. She knew they'd been in here far too long, not to mention using so much energy trying to find this damn tear. She wasn't giving up. If she had to, she would use her life energy. She was getting them out of this hell.

"I—I can't." Marian couldn't even stand. "Please...don't let this thing...hurt my son."

Regina gripped her knees, trying to gather some strength, and she looked back at Marian. She was even more pale, panting just as Regina was, and she appeared almost transparent. They needed to get the hell out of there. This insanity was draining their life energy, but for Regina and Emma, it was feeding off their magical energy. They would still have their powers, though it would take a day or two for them to get their full strength back. But Marian had no magic, so this entire time insanity was taking her life. Strength was only getting her so far, now it was down to the wire. Time was almost out.

"Give me your arm." Regina bent down, moving her arm around Marian's small waist and hauling her arm, gripping Marian's right hand. "Lean on me."

"What are you doing?" Marian stared at her.

"Walking. I'd appreciate it if you moved your feet."

They walked toward the tear, but as they got closer, something slammed them back. It was invisible, but powerful. Regina groaned and set her hand over her lower stomach, feeling warm blood that wasn't there. It was powerful enough to strike them and have it affect their actual bodies. It was a guard, keeping them trapped inside and not allowing anyone else inside.

"Marian, stay back!" Regina climbed onto her feet, looking for shifting in the darkness, but it was still. She stepped forward and was throw back into one of the walls. She gasped in a quick breath and could taste blood in her throat. She gripped her throat and looked up as the invisible guard melded back into the wall. It was strong, but she still had some strength left. She would use it all if she had to.

_~r~mm~d~_

Mary Margaret handed David and Robin coffee she'd gotten from Granny's. She had to get out of that house and go home for a shower. It was still early, and Henry was passed out at the house, so she decided to come and check on them before going back. She was so happy to see color returning to Regina's face, and Dr. Whale seemed very hopeful. Mary Margaret peered at Regina through the glass, watching Robin gently held her hand and glancing over at Hook as he looked at Emma, willing her to wake and have defeated insanity. "She looks better."

"Yeah." David swallowed a drink of coffee. "After the last few tests, Whale's confident she'll wake soon. Her wounds are finally healing."

She smiled. "Henry will be relieved to hear that."

"How is he?"

"He worked himself all through the night. He was sleeping like the dead when I left." She looked over at Belle, who was reading a tale to Neal. She was glad Robin had tended to him. She didn't want him to be exposed to the cold while she and Henry moved boxes in with the front door wide open. She hoped this ended soon. She wanted to spend time with her children and she wanted Regina and Marian back and well. She didn't want to worry every second of the day, not like this. When would they be able to rest?

"Henry will probably wake up soon. I'll go get him, grab some decent food and come back here," David offered. "I should drop Hook off at Granny's, but he won't leave Emma's side."

"Would you leave?"

"No." He grasped her hand. "Snow, I don't want to worry you, but I have to tell you something."

She met his eyes. "Tell me what?"

"I believe the longer they stay in that realm, the less chance they have of waking. Regina looks better, yes, but Emma looks worse. I worry the better Regina gets, the worse Emma gets, especially since it may want to make Emma as its new vessel."

"I know. I worked it out myself last night while Henry and I were working." She rubbed her thumb against the rim of the cup. "Insanity was powerful enough to almost beat Rumpelstiltskin, but Rumpelstiltskin isn't Emma. She'll find a way to defeat insanity, like she always does, and she has Regina by her side. They're more powerful together, so I know they'll come back to us."

A groaning sound interrupted David, and they looked over as Regina rolled onto her side, gripping her lower stomach and blood spread through her fingers. Robin moved back as Whale and some nurses pinned Regina's arms and legs down, trying to stop her thrashing, but as she stopped, her head jerked to the side, a bruise in the shape of a feather spread across her cheek. Her head jerked to the other side, her cheek splitting open.

_~h~_

Henry's eyes snapped open at the sound of a woman's voice calling to him. He pushed himself up, seeing the house covered in snow, and his breath was visible. He didn't see his shoes anywhere, so he stepped off the bed, his feet touched the snow, but they didn't feel it.

Slowly walking down the hall, Henry heard crackling. It was like...a whip or possibly lightening. It was odd. He followed the sound, climbing down the stairs, peeking over the railing to see what was making that sound, but there was nothing.

He stepped into the living room and saw boot impression in the snow leading to the kitchen. He followed them quickly, seeing the backdoor wide open, and as he neared it, he saw pink drops in the snow. He looked up and saw a mass of energy outside, sucking in the snow and the trees—sucking in everything! It was devouring the land, and he felt himself being pulled in.

He fell to the ground and grabbed at the door frame, but the pull was too potent. He could feel his grip slipping as his feet were swept off the ground, and he groaned as gripped the frame tighter, feeling the wood biting into his hand.

"Let go, Henry."

"M—Mom?" He couldn't look to see if it was her.

"Come with me." She opened her arms. "I'll catch you, kid. C'mon!"

"Henry, don't!" Regina shouted from the kitchen. "Hold on!"

"Henry, don't trust her! She's _evil!_ She's going to **hurt** you! Let go! Now!" Emma screamed. "Henry, I can't lose you!"

Regina summed a root from a strong tree nearby to wrap around her waist as she neared Henry. "Give me your hand!"

"Don't trust her!" Emma held her hand out. "Let go, kid. Let go and be with me! We'll be safe!"

"Henry!" Regina reached for him.

He felt his hands slip, and he gasped, Regina grabbed his hand then his wrist, and he met her eyes, seeing fear in losing him and determination in making sure that didn't happen. He grasped her free hand, trusting her, believing her, and she pulled him in as Emma begged for him to let her go and to come to her.

"Mom." Henry hugged her. "What's happening?"

Regina smoothed his hair down, holding him. "The future." She made the root wrap around him. "Be prepared should the worst come."

"The future?" Henry looked at her. "What? I don't understand. Mom, what are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." Tears glistened in her eyes, and she set her hands on his cheeks. "Be safe, Henry, and know that I love you more than anything in the world."

"I love you too."

The energy grew, Henry could feel it pushing him down now, and his mom removed the root from her waist, allowing herself to be pulled in. He looked over his shoulder as Regina gripped Emma's arm and fell into the mass of energy with her. Emma wasn't the same. She wasn't his mother. Her eyes were different; he didn't recognize the emotion behind them, and he saw that just as the energy engulfed them.

"**Mom**!" Henry shot up, panting as light poured into the room. He pushed hair back from his face and caught his breath, trying to calm his heart. He'd never had such a vivid dream. He saw the energy mass when he tried to help his mom, but it wasn't that big, wasn't that powerful. What was that? Why did Mom say to prepare should the worst to come? What's going on?

He grabbed his coat and shoes, hurrying down the stairs and out the front door. He heeded the icy snow-covered ground as he ran into town, wanting to see Regina. He was going to try to see Emma too. Maybe Grandma could drive him. He had to know they were all right. That dream had scared him to his core. It was just a dream, but it could happen. Emma was the Savior, and insanity had to know that. It was going to take control of her, like with Marian. Only it would be too formidable to stop, especially if since it had Regina and Marian inside it too.

"Whoa!" Henry slid in ice, barely catching his balance. He saw the hospital and slowed his pace, catching his breathe, until he entered the hospital. Then he hurried up to his mom's room, and he saw his grandparents, his uncle, Robin, Hook, Belle and Rumpelstiltskin outside her room. He weaved through them and saw both of his moms in the room, and he watched as nurses and Dr. Whale tried to still Regina. She looked a lot better, but now she was bleeding in places she had no wounds and had new bruises and cuts as well. "What's going on?"

"Regina has found a tear," Rumple replied, "and its Guardian."

"It's going to kill her, isn't it?" Henry turned to him.

"We'll have to see." Rumple looked at Regina, seeing the pouch of herbs in the palm of her hand, and he cast a spell on them, augmenting their power. It was all he could at this point.

_~e~_

"What is this?" Emma pointed to a casserole dish that had been untouched.

"Probably your casserole," Regina muttered, closing the lid to the leftover yams.

Snow snickered.

"Well, let's hope neither of you become a missing person anytime soon." Emma slapped the lid back on.

"You know, Emma, sometimes I look at you and think 'You're cruelly depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.'" Regina shook her head, licking gravy off her finger.

Emma let out a half-scoff, half-laugh. "Sometimes I look at you and remind myself, 'That's right, she just had a baby.'"

"There's still gravy in this pan." She pointed to it. "Would you like to drown in it?"

"Stop it, you two." Mary Margaret took the pan.

"We were kidding." Regina crossed her arms. "Besides, we all know Emma would try to save the village and annoy it equally."

Emma opened her mouth, but the baby began to cry, and Regina went to her. Emma shook her head and helped her mom put the food away, looking out the window to check on Killian, Henry and Robin. She was happy to see they'd all bonded. She worried after losing Neal that maybe Henry wouldn't like that she was with Hook. He was very accepting of Robin, however. It most likely was because Regina wasn't really with anyone while he was growing up, and Robin made Regina happy, so that was enough for Henry. Hook wasn't Neal, and he made it clear he wasn't going to try to be. She hoped Henry respected that.

Emma tried to remember the conversation, but she couldn't. Her mind went blank, and she frowned. What the hell? She gripped her forehead. How odd. Why couldn't she remember something so simple? It had to be recently... it had to be. After all, Hook just moved in with them, so why couldn't she remember? It was as if there was a giant gap in her mind. Wait, wasn't she—?

"Ah." Emma groaned softly, feeling something burn against her hand. What?

"What're you thinking about?" Mary Margaret stared at her daughter.

"Nothing." Emma turned to her. "Uh, where's Robin's ex-wife?" Emma couldn't remember her name. She could barely remember that Robin had a wife before Regina. It was in the very back of her mind.

"Emma." She frowned. "Don't. You know what happened?"

"What happened?" Regina reentered the room with her daughter.

"With Marian," Mary Margaret replied.

Regina looked at Emma with disgust. "You should do some soul-searching, Emma. You may just find one."

"No, that's my line." Emma narrowed her eyes. "Why can't I focus? What the hell is going on here?"

"You're tired." David appeared beside her suddenly. "You should rest. I'll help your mother with this."

"No. No, I'm not tired." Emma looked from him to her mother. "I—This is wrong."

"How is it wrong?" Henry was suddenly in front of her.

The room kept flickering, showing what was real and what was lies. She could see the blood and shattered glass that she saw before...before...before Rumpelstiltskin sent her into a mass of energy to get Marian and Roland. None of this was real. Regina was no new mother, and they didn't get along this well. They were almost always at each others throats unless they had to protect Henry.

The fake family was coming at her, Emma backed up, trying to find a weapon, but everything kept flicking from truth to lies, and there was nothing real to grasp. She gripped the counter, kicking the fake David hard in the chest, knocking him into Mary Margaret and Regina.

"You won't escape." Henr_y_ stood by the door, but not blocking it. "You'll never escape."

Emma backed out the door then turned and dodged Hook and Robin, falling. She didn't land on the ground as she expected, but through the ground. She saw Robin and Hook looking down on her as the ground engulfed her. She fell into darkness.

_~r~m~_

Regina gripped her arm, panting loudly, and she wasn't sure how much more she could take. She had to get them out of there. If she could only use magic, this wisp would be a smoking pile of ash. It was so frustrating to have magic and not be able to use it. If she could only get to the tear. She may be able touch her world and reconnect the flow of her magic. She just couldn't get to it. She needed a distraction, but Marian was too weak. It would destroy her.

The room began to shift, Regina looked around as the Guardian began to move, and she straightened up, preparing for the next attack. The ceiling and floor began to shimmer, Regina fell to her knees, gripping her side as it burned, and Marian looked up, wondering what hell was going to come through. But there was nothing and then suddenly Emma fell out of the ceiling.

"What the hell?" Emma shot up, seeing Marian and Regina. "Regina—you're bleeding."

"And your timing is shit," Regina retorted.

"It comes!" Marian shouted at them.

Regina climbed to feet, Emma looked up as some_thing_ moved through the walls, and Regina hauled Emma to her feet.

"What is that?" Emma followed it with her eyes.

"Your problem for the moment."

"_My_ problem?" Emma turned to Regina. "What—what the hell is it?"

"A Guardian. It's evil, so kick its ass."

Emma spun around as it came at her, and she barely had time to dodge its assault. She couldn't see what it was, so it was invisible. She would have to rely on her other senses, which was hard to do as it made no sound. The only time she saw it was when the walls shifted from its energy. It wasn't going back into the wall with all of them there, so how the hell was she going to do this? She only managed to trip out of its way before.

"Do you have a plan?" Emma jumped out of the way, feeling it slice at her.

"Yes."

"Care to tell me what it is?" Emma scanned for movement.

"Just distract the damn Guardian!"

The Guardian slammed into Emma, she gripped her stomach, gasping for air, and it knocked her to her knees. She rolled onto her back, seeing the energy cut into the air or the space around it, and she waited until it came at her. She kicked up both feet, pushing it away, and she scrambled to her feet.

Regina set her hand on the tear, feeling the raw energy against her palm and watching the ripples reveal what was on the other side. She saw the barn and saw Roland, perhaps. She couldn't be sure. It was all indistinct. She added pressure to her hand, white-hot pain shoot through her palm, but she clenched her jaw and kept pushing.

Emma couldn't touch the Guardian directly, not without it burning at her hands, so she put a lot of force into a round kick. At least her boots were still very effect in this realm. She ducked it's retaliation, but it was too fast. It landed a blow to the side of her face, and she felt where the blood should've been. She didn't let it phase her as she slammed her boot in to it.

Regina felt the pressure of the energy eating away at her, but she could feel it thinning. She was so close to freedom. Once they were out, they would have a short window to destroy this thing once and for all without harming Marian. Hopefully, it was no longer feeding off of any of them. It had to know they were all together now, and it had to know they were about to escape, so where was it? What was it doing now? It could sense them, if only they had to the courtesy to sense it. It bothered her to not know where it was and why it was delaying. Perhaps it was too weak to do anything more. Perhaps it was still recovering after Emma broke out from wherever she was being held. That was a lot to put on a perhaps.

Emma slammed it into the wall and smashed her foot into it with all of her might, and it pulled her up and tossed her down. She fell to the ground, feeling an echo of a sharp pain in her upper arm. She was glad to not feel the full force of it, otherwise this battle would've been over long before. However, before Emma could get to her feet, it grasped her foot and dragged her. She couldn't use her injured arm completely, and there was nothing to grasp anyway. It threw her up at the ceiling and she fell to the floor, crying out as she landed on her injured arm. She gasped in short, pained breaths.

Marian saw how Regina struggled to get through the tear and how Emma tried to get to her feet with such pain wrecking her body. She couldn't sit in the corner and watch this any longer. She might not have much strength, but she could still do _something._ She wasn't sure what would be useful. Perhaps she could... Yes, that might be helpful.

Marian, using the wall, stood up and loosened the knot on her cloak. It wasn't from their world, because hers was left in the woods, so whatever this was composed of might be able to withstand the energy the Guardian was emitting. It was worth a try. It could help Emma. She was willing to die for Snow White's innocence, and she was willing to die if that meant Roland and the others would be safe.

Emma rolled onto her back, watching Marian stand her ground as the Guardian came at her. "Marian, don't. Move!" Emma tried to get up, but it was too late. "No!"

The Guardian ran through Marian as her cloak fell on top of it, but before Emma could react to it, the Guardian went up in dark flames. She gasped and looked back as Regina shot another black fireball at the Guardian, and its pained cries shook the realm.

"Emma, give me your hand!" Regina shouted over the cries. "Quickly!"

Emma scrambled to her feet and hurried over to Regina, letting Regina take her injured arm and forcing it through the tear, so she could use magic as well. Together, they summoned a massive, destructive fireball with black and white flames that twisted together, seeking out the Guardian. When the flames hit, Emma had to turn away as the bright flames burned gold and lit the room on fire.

Regina smirked. "A coffin, bitch."

Emma looked over and saw Regina fading. She felt panicked, but looking down at herself, she saw herself fading. Before she faded out completely, she took one last look at the room before her. The room burned with beautiful, golden flames, the Guardian lay still among the flames, but the cloak was untouched, defying the flames as they ate at the room.


	19. Merry Christmas

Regina shot up, seeing many nurses in the room around her, and she groaned, feeling a tug at her side. She saw the blood on the sheets, and one of the nurses eased her back, but at her own request they lightly sedated her as Dr. Whale finished stitching the gash in her side. She couldn't see if anyone was in the other room since the curtain was pulled, but she knew they were all there.

Emma's eyes snapped open as pain burned through her arm. She found nurses around her, wiping blood from her cheek, tending to her broken arm, and she saw Regina beside her. She couldn't see anything beyond Regina, but she could feel the others were just behind the curtain. She had never wanted to see them more than she did now.

The others waited until the nurses and Whale had finished patching their many wounds, and then they fled as Henry and Mary Margaret and Robin and Hook and David came pouring into the room. Henry went to Regina first since Mary Margaret all but shoved her way to Emma with David right on her heels.

"Henry!" She held him tightly. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." He smiled widely. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, cupping his cheeks. "Thank you."

"I love you, Mom." He hugged her again.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret smiled from ear to ear with tears in her eyes. "How do you feel?"

"Not to be rude or disrespectful, I'm in the hospital, so I'm obviously not feeling all that great."

David let out a laugh. "It's so good to see you, Emma." He kissed the top of her head. "We knew you'd come back. We knew you'd defeat insanity."

Emma looked over at Regina, who glanced over through Henry's hair. "Not just yet."

"We need to get to the barn." Regina released Henry.

"You can't be serious. You can barely stand." Robin shook his head. "David and I will go."

"No, it has to be us." Emma slid off the bed, holding a hand up to her parents and Hook. "It has to be us."

"I have some clothes you can wear, Regina." Mary Margaret went out to get her bag.

"Can you even walk?" Henry asked his mom.

"I'll be fine." She set her feet on the floor.

"You can't even use a gun," Henry told Emma.

"We'll be fine." Emma hugged him. "Don't worry, kid."

"Don't tell me not to worry," Henry murmured. "You weren't here. You didn't see what I saw."

She held him close. "We'll come back." Looking at Hook, she said, "I promise."

David and Robin warmed the cars while Regina changed into the clothes Mary Margaret had left in Neal's bag for herself with the some assistance, and they went to the barn together. Henry wanted to go, but they didn't want to put him in danger, and they also needed someone to watch Neal. And Rumpelstiltskin wasn't going to stand back and leave it all up to them, so naturally Belle went with him. And if Henry needed any aid with Neal, he had plenty of nurses there. And Dr. Whale too.

When they arrived, Regina, Emma and Rumple could feel the weakening essence. David told Mary Margaret to stay back as they neared the mass of energy that no longer crackled with power, Robin, Belle, and Hook wanted to follow them, but Regina, Rumple and Emma didn't want them to endure anything like what they had gone through. Also Rumple didn't want to risk it jumping into anyone's body; Robin, Belle and Hook were more susceptible to possession than the three of them. The three of them could, at least, fight it off.

They stepped into the energy and proceeded into the barn where soft whimpers were escaping from. Regina knew it was Roland, and she hoped he was just scared. She hoped that she had made it in time to send Marian out of there before the Guardian ripped through her. She didn't want that little boy to see his mother to only lose her. Regina knew how painful that was, and she didn't want Roland to experience that.

Entering the barn, Regina saw Roland in a corner, snuffling. She, ignoring her wounds, went over to him and picked him up, glad to see him safe. His little face was pale, and he buried his face in Regina's shoulder, gripping her jacket tightly.

"Where's Marian?" Emma looked around, unsettled.

"I—I am here."

Rumple turned as Marian stepped out of the shadows, narrowing his eyes. "You're not alone, are you?"

Marian shook her head. "I—I have some control of my mind." She kept her distance. "I do not trust myself, so please do not come closer."

"How do you have control of your mind?" Emma asked. "Is it that weak?"

"Perhaps." Rumple walked over to Marian, having to keep her still with magic as she tried backing away. He held his hand out and closed his eyes, seeing the energy wrapping around Marian's body. It was as he feared: its energy has been entangled with her own. There was no way to separate them now, and that did not matter, because it had drained so much of Marian's life away. She may not even make it to the first day of spring.

"What is it?" Regina rubbed Roland's back to sooth him.

He opened his eyes to meet Marian's. "Its life is bound to hers. Any solution we had...is no longer an option."

"Tell me there's a but." Emma could hear the hope in her voice.

"But the two of you have severely weakened. There may be a way to keep it...docile." He turned to them. "I'll need both of you to do this."

"Okay."

Regina set Roland on the ground, taking his hand and joining them. "What do you intend to do?"

"I intend to bind the insanity inside of her. It's the opposite of what it has done to her. It'll be trapped within her, powerless and unable to surface. When Marian dies, so will it."

"What do you need from us?" Emma glanced at Regina then back to Rumple.

"I'll need your light magic, a bit of Regina's blood and a few locks of Roland's hair." He summoned a locket.

"Why do you need his hair?" Regina narrowed her eyes. "And my blood?"

"Because you're part of the reason insanity took her over so rapidly. As for the boy, he's not only innocent, he's the only thing that kept Marian alive all this time. I wouldn't harm the boy."

"Of course not." Regina summoned a knife, but it was difficult and taxing. She still had recovering to do, and it might be a few days before her magic fully returned to her. She bent down and gently cut off some of Roland's hair, handing it to Rumpelstiltskin before pricking her finger and squeezing a few drops of her blood into the locket.

"Ms. Swan." He closed the closet and set it in her hand. "Seal it."

Emma covered the locket with her hands, sealing it with what little light magic she had to offer at the moment. Opening her hand, she saw it was enough as the locket could no longer be opened, and she held it out to Rumple. "Will this work?"

"It surprises you that such few ingredients can still such destruction? Do I need to remind you of the Dark Curse?"

"What surprises me is that Marian's heart doesn't have to be locked in a box to contain insanity."

He turned to Marian. "Give me your hand—the marked one."

She held out her right hand that had been stained with darkness from the insanity, Rumple took it and placed the locket in the middle of her palm. She watched as Rumple waved his hand over hers, and she cried out as the locket sank into her skin. There was no blood, for some reason. Her flesh and veins shifted as the locket embedded itself into her palm. Her skin didn't cover it, and the dulled silver and green gem were still visible.

"What the hell was that?" Emma exclaimed.

"I never said she'd wear it."

"Look." Regina stood in the doorway. "It's dissipating."

They watched as the energy mass broke apart and faded into the air, the others became visible once the energy was gone, and Robin came running at them. He picked up Roland and held him tightly, putting an arm around Regina, placing a kiss to his son's head, almost crying with relief.

Emma set a hand on Marian's arm then moved aside, Marian looked at Robin and Roland then began to walk away, but Robin called to her. She turned and was surprised when he embraced her. She felt something stirring inside of her, and she pulled back, looking at her palm to see the gems darkening.

"What is it?" Regina noticed the worry in Marian's eyes.

"I—I felt the insanity stirring." She looked at Rumpelstiltskin. "I thought you said—"

"It appears Robin has become a trigger." Rumple sighed. "It would be best if you kept your distance."

"A trigger?" Robin frowned.

"I'll explain it on the way back," Regina offered.

"I want to take Roland," Marian told Robin. "Just for the way back."

Robin looked at his son, gave him a tight hug and then handed him to Marian. "I'll see you soon, son." He ruffled his hair and gave him a loving smile then went to Regina, helping her back to the car. They had a long road ahead of them.

_~r~e~_

Regina sat in her room in Emma's house, focusing on her wounds and healing them, listening the sounds of Henry trying to cook breakfast and Emma and Hook talking softly in their room. They were all soft hums, but Regina was focusing on nature and its connection to all living things to heal herself with light magic, so she still heard them lightly at her ear.

A knock on the door caught Henry's attention. He left the kitchen and to answer it, finding Robin on the other side. He came every day to visit Regina—every day—especially on days when Marian had Roland. Henry had gotten the entire story from his moms when they returned, and he was glad Marian was able to spend more time with her son before...

"She's upstairs." Henry closed the door.

"Making breakfast?" He removed his jacket and hung it on the rack.

"Trying to."

"Here, let me lend you a hand."

"You can cook?"

"Not extensively, but yes." He rolled his sleeves up. "What're you making?"

"Eggs. It's about all I can make."

"All right. You make the eggs and some toasts, and I'll make...something." He checked the fridge and handed Henry ingredients then they began to cook.

Emma stopped talking to Killian at the scent of cooking food. She slipped out of the bed and went downstairs to see what Henry was doing. She told him not to make anything that require the stove. She didn't want him to hurt himself or eat something he didn't cook properly and get sick. She also didn't want to see the kitchen set on fire.

"Henry, what are you...?" she trailed off, seeing the table full of plates and food. She looked back at Killian as she headed into the kitchen. "Henry?"

Robin smiled. "Good morning."

"Uh, good morning."

"Hey, Mom." Henry carried a jug of orange juice. "We made breakfast. Are you hungry?"

"Starved." She smiled a little. "I should get Regina. She's been up longer than us. I doubt she's eaten."

"I'll get her." Robin set a plate of bacon on the table then started for the stairs.

Emma took a seat. "Is there food left in the fridge?"

Henry laughed. "Yeah."

"Good, because we'll need something for dinner tonight. Regina's going home tomorrow."

Henry took a drink of orange juice. All he had to do was keep them busy until six. How hard could that be?

Robin softly knocked on Regina's door before opening it. She was mediating, and he saw the bruises on her cheeks lightening. "You look well."

She opened her eyes. "If only I felt well." She smiled at him. "Good morning."

"Good morning." He sat beside her on the bed. "Any pain?"

"Some, but I'm all right." She rested her hands in her lap. "How are you?"

"I'm well." He met her eyes. "I'm eternally grateful for what you and Emma did."

"There's no need to thank me."

"Heros don't accept thanks?"

"We do, but I did what I did to return to Henry. Finding Marian was...not intentional."

"But you protected her when you didn't have to, and thanks to you, Roland has a chance to know his mother." He grasped her hand gently, pausing a moment before softly saying, "I love you, Regina."

She looked into his eyes. "Rob—"

"You don't have to say anything," he gently interrupted her. "I just wanted you to know. I love you."

She slowly smiled then leaned over and kissed him.

"Mom!" Henry called up the stairs. "Breakfast's getting cold!"

Robin pulled back. "You should eat."

She stood up, the pain in her side more manageable, and she turned to face him. "Are you coming?"

He smirked and followed her down to the dining room where the others were, taking her hand and lacing his fingers through hers.

_~mm~d~_

After Emma unlocked Regina's house, Snow and David went to see what the damage was, but her house was in order. There was nothing out of place: no blood, no shattered glass, no torn up furniture or shredded pictures. They were more than a little stunned, but after speaking with Rumpelstiltskin, they felt a little better. Apparently the mess of blood and various broken objects were just an illusion. It was part of a spell that made whoever entered the house become discouraged and lowered their will—another attempt to take over Emma. Had Hook not been outside, Emma would become so weak-willed that insanity could take her over in a flat second.

"You told Henry six, didn't you?" David rocked Neal in his arms.

"Yes." She adjusted the banner. "How does this look?"

"Overused."

She laughed. "It is, but it's the thought that counts."

"Did you invite Marian?"

She stepped off the ladder. "Yes. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"I don't know."

"Well, you can watch Robin, and I'll watch Marian. Does that sound better?" She went into the kitchen and grabbed the cups they'd bought.

"No, it doesn't." He set Neal down in the carrier.

"Did you pick up the ice?" She ripped out the plastic open and set them on the table.

"Yes."

"Did you pick up the plastic ware?"

"It's in the bag by the door." He retrieved it and set the boxes on the table.

"How about the plates? I don't want Regina to get stuck with five thousand dirty dishes."

"Yes, I got the ice, the plastic ware, the plates, and I got some wood for the fireplace. Snow, relax. We have everything."

She smiled. "You're right. We have all that we need. Could you make a fire? Marko's going to come and work on the heater, but until then we'll need a fire to keep this place warm."

"I'll make the fire."

"Thank you." She started to leave when he gently grasped her hand and pulled her into his arms. She met his eyes just before he leaned down and kissed her, sliding his arm around her waist.

"Merry Christmas," he whispered softly when he pulled back.

"Merry Christmas." She smiled.

"Oh, should we come back?" Ruby teased from the doorway.

"No." Snow stepped back. "I need help with everything. Hello, Whale."

He smiled. "Hey."

"Granny's making some dishes at the diner since it has better ovens." Ruby set a bag on the table. "Where is the tree?"

"On the way. Phillip's bringing it."

"Good, otherwise these ornaments are going to waste." She pulled out a wreath. "I'll hang this on the inside of the door."

"Great." She turned to Whale. "Could you move the couch against the wall? That's where the tree will go."

"All right." He removed his coat and scarf, heading into the living room.

Snow and Ruby found little things to go—fixing the lights, finding a station that played decent Christmas music, placing trashcans in easily accessible places—until Phillip brought the tree. Aurora had some ornaments she wanted to hang, so she and Ruby began hanging them while Snow greeted guests and placed what food they brought on the table and David watched Neal.

So far everything was going well. They just needed Emma and Regina to arrive.

_~r~e~_

"How does it look?" Emma asked Regina, from the other side of the bathroom door in Regina's bedroom, referring to her wound.

"It's healing."

"Are you taking your medication?" Emma adjusted the sleeve of her shirt around her cast.

"Must you ask me such vexatious questions? I'm trying to get dressed, which I could do faster if you weren't lingering outside my door." She adjusted her earring.

"That's a no then. I'm only asking because I worry. Henry worries."

"I'm fine." She opened the door. "There's no infection, and my magic is serving me well as always." She sat down on the bed and slipped her feet into her shoes. "Why are you in here?"

"Killian's dressing in my room." She shrugged.

"And he asked you to prod me? I think not."

"After all that's happened, I'd hate to see you die because of how much trust you put in your magic."

"Are you still living in those delusions?" She rose. "For now, everything is all right. I don't need you or Henry worrying about me. We were both injured, and we'll both heal. End of discussion."

"I know. I'm just... I don't know. I guess I haven't slept off that dream just yet. It was so real."

"It was just a dream, Emma. Whatever you saw wasn't real."

"The only real part made me realize how phony it all was." She shook her head. "Are you ready?"

"I've been ready. You were just annoying me into staying in the bathroom. If you bothered me that much _through_ the door, I wasn't in the mood for what you'd do to me face-to-face." She grabbed her jacket and scarf. She paused in the doorway. "Do you still dream of what happened?"

"Every night." She met Regina's eyes. "Do you?"

"Not all the time, but some nights." She put her coat on. "Look, Emma, it happened. It was...intense, but it's in the past. If we've learned anything it's to not let the past control our future."

"I know, but...we both saw different things, and knowing how easily it manipulated us... I think that's what scares me the most."

"It's been around for centuries, gathering power and honing its ability to manipulate and destroy. We won; it won't ever hurt anyone else, and Marian has time with Roland. Even if it's only a little time. I'd say that's one hell of a victory."

She nodded.

"Hey." Henry poked his head in. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, kid. We're ready." Emma smiled for him. "Get your coat."

"Okay." He smiled back them before going downstairs.

"I swear if it's another surprise party, I'll have to resist the urge to hurl a fireball at the banner." Regina adjusted her scarf.

"Mom said it was just dinner." Emma left the room after her.

"You'd be a fool to believe that."

"We'll see."

"Can I drive?" Henry mused.

"No!" Emma and Regina shot back.

"I was kidding. Geez." He opened the door and went out to the car.

Regina dug her keys out of her pocket as she walked to her car, Emma closed and locked the door to the house, and she walked to her car. She watched Regina pull out, her keys dangling on her fingertips, and she smiled a little. Was that a bonding moment? Maybe all of what she saw wasn't impossible. Maybe they could one day be family and not just for Henry's sake. What a family they'd be. Hopefully Henry would never have an urge to map out their family tree. They didn't have enough paper.

_~**rr**~dmm~**eh**~rw~_

"I guess I'm a fool," Emma murmured as the group greeted them.

Regina's brow twitched, but she expected no less. She smiled for Mary Margaret and all the effort she had put into this, and Robin helped her remove her coat, although she didn't need much help. Her wounds were healing quickly.

"Merry Christmas!" Mary Margaret hugged Emma.

"Merry Christmas." Emma had practically forgotten. "Merry Christmas, Dad." She hugged him next.

"I'm good." Regina held a hand up.

She still hugged her lightly. "Merry Christmas, Regina."

She sighed softly. "Merry Christmas." She hugged her back a little. "I never got a chance a to say...thank you...for your words."

Snow smiled. "I'm glad you listened."

"Did you think I wouldn't come back?"

"Not for a second."

"As it should be." Regina smiled. "Thank you for...doing all of this."

"You're very welcome." Snow was beaming.

"Regina!" Roland ran over to her. "Regina!"

She bent down and smiled at him. He looked so much better, and he was happy. She was glad he had a chance to get to know Marian, to be able to have some good, normal memories of her. "Hey."

"Hey." He smiled then gave her a hug. "Mama wanted me to thank you."

She wrapped her arms around him, looking up and seeing Marian in the distance, smiling at them. She pulled back, holding his hands in hers.

"Thank you."

"You are so very welcome." She released his hands and let him return to his mother. She turned and went to her own son, finding him with David in the kitchen. Upon her entrance, David made a beeline for the exit, claiming Snow needed more ice. "Just a simple dinner?"

Henry simply smiled. "I wanted to celebrate you both defeating insanity, and I wanted you to be around family. Was that too much to ask for?"

"Well, next time—buy coasters. I'll have rings all over my tables."

He laughed. "First item on the list."

"Let's go. You don't get to hide in here."

"Fine."

They rejoined the party, talking to the guests and enjoying themselves. Henry was glad to see what a success this party was. Everyone was having a really good time, there were more laughs than anything, and this time no one was left out, sitting on the side and watching everyone else enjoy themselves. Even Marian and Robin seemed to be on good terms, smiling at each as they stayed as far away from each other as possible so insanity wouldn't stir. Today was a day to celebrate, and there wasn't anyone to fight, arrest or bury. It was just family and friends. From now on, it would always be that way.


End file.
